Peace
by Re-Rei
Summary: Peace was never an option. No, peace was always an option.
1. Always an option

Heyo, I just watched what could be one of the best movies of my life, X-men first class. I'm not much of a Marvel fan but this one made me reconsider that fact. Who didn't love the interaction between Charles and Erik?

The beach scene touched my heart and then my mind was filled with AU senerios. . So I internally squeeled when I thought about the possibilities of doing this.

It's a one-shot for now but it might develop into a multi eventually when I get the time. Sorry if this sucks. Oh and this is totally AU.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot.

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><p>A voice filled with desperation.<p>

A voice filled with hate.

A bullet deflected to the left.

A bullet deflected to the right.

A bloodcurdling scream.

When I heard the scream, the world seemed to slow as I turned around. The missles I was focused on only moments before was forgotten when I saw Charles falling forward towards the sand.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

I caught Charles before he fell and removed the bullet that hit him and hoped I was not too late. But deep within my mind I knew that I was already too late. The damage was already done. Shaking my head I shoved the thought out of the way. This was not important. Right now, Charles was important.

I carefully turned Charles over and gently cradled him in my arms. His face was contorted in pain and I knew this was only the tip of the iceberg. My friend, no, my brother was suffering so much more. His skin was so pale and tears slowly streamed down from Charles' eyes. I could feel my own tears threatening to fall. Charles was dying, he was bleeding to death. His breaths were getting more ragged and I could feel blood, his blood, trickling through my fingers.

This was _my_ fault. I, and I alone, had hurt him. I had hurt Charles, the person who deserved anything but that. But this can't be my fault. I refuse to believe this.

The protector always protects. I was supposed to _protect_ Charles, not _harm _him!

In my anger I looked up and searched for someone, _anyone_, to blame. My gaze landed on Moira.

The _human_.

She did this, she was the one who shot Charles. I outstretched my hand and willed the dogtags she wore to obey my command. '_Choke her, choke her, choke her,'_ I repeated the mantra over and over. This human will pay for hurting Charles.

I blamed her for Charles' pain. I blamed her for everything. "You did this!" I shouted in rage. Moira grasped her dogtags in a futile effort to stop them from suffocating her. She started to gag and her efforts grew more desperate. I made the dogtags constrict even more as my anger built up. She will not go unpunished.

"No, Erik. _You_ did this."

My anger dissolved at once when I heard those words. The dogtags stopped choking Moira as my focus was directed back at Charles. I knew he was right, it was my fault but I still couldn't believe it.

"Charles, can't you see? This is what they want, us turning on each other. But we are brothers, we want the same thing." I didn't know who I was trying to convince anymore. Myself or Charles. Charles or myself.

"Oh my friend. I am sorry, but we do not." Charles' voice was filled with agony and regret. He swallowed a cry of pain and looked deep into my eyes. Instead of blame and hate, I only saw forgiveness and understanding.

He didn't blame me.

But that only strengthened his statement. We really don't want the same thing. We are too different. Charles is filled with so much kindness and love. He wants a world where humans and mutants exist in harmony and peace. I am filled with hate and anger. I want a world where mutants reign supreme over the inferior humans.

"Erik, I know you have suffered greatly in your life but you do not have to suffer forever. Can I...s-show you?" I nodded and brought a hand to my helmet and took it off. Charles looked at me with thanks but it was immediately overtaken by pain. Shakily, he raised his hand and touched my forehead with two fingers.

I closed my eyes as I was flooded with feelings of security, warmth and peace. The tears I was holding back finally fell as I started to sob. All my life, I thought I would ever feel these feelings again. I never lost them after all. Charles smiled up at me and his hand fell away from my head, his strength drained from his action.

"I hope that now, you will finally be at peace, my friend."

With that his breathing slowed and he closed his eyes, falling into unconsciousness.

"Charles...I promise I will never fail to protect you again." I whispered as I held him closer to me.

_Peace was never an option._

No, peace was_ always_ an option.


	2. Point between rage and serenity

I am shocked at the response. In all my short Fanfiction life, I have never gotten over 100 visitors in just little over 2 hours. Shocked.

I love you guys.

Just because of that, I'm giving this little present but don't expect this again. I'm still super busy...Curse you final exams. I know I should be sleeping but I'm like, forget that.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>After Charles fell unconscious, Raven dashed towards us. Wordlessly, I handed Charles over to her and she hugged his unresponsive body as if it would wake him up. "We need to get him to a hospital," she whispered quietly.<p>

I nodded and stood up to face everyone else. "You," I said to the remnants of Sebastian Shaw's crew. "Will you join us?" There was a tense silence as I waited for their decision. After what seemed like forever, the red mutant, Azazel smirked and exchanged glances with the tornado-user, Riptide. I didn't need Charles' mind-reading powers to know what those looks meant.

They weren't going to help us.

The two joined hands and Riptide extended a hand towards Angel, which she took without hesitation, and the three were gone in a puff of smoke.

I growled in frustration, what were we supposed to do now? Our ship was wrecked, no one could fly, Charles couldn't possibly influence the soldiers across the sea even if he was awake, and our only way to a hospital just left us here to die. We had no way off this damn beach and who knows how long Charles has left? Not only that, how long did we have before the Russians and Americans decide to attack us again? No matter how I looked at the situation, it wouldn't end well for anyone.

I glanced down at Charles' face and I knew I couldn't let him down. Not again.

I analyzed our situation again, maybe there was something I missed. I surveyed my surroundings and I only saw debris.

Wait.

Debris. _Metal_ debris.

"Listen up, I got a plan." I told them. They stopped whatever they were doing and looked at me with expectant looks. I held back a grimace, those looks are reserved only for a leader. I was not the leader. That was Charles' job, not mine. I took in a deep breath and began to explain my plan to them.

*~***~Peace~***~*

He could hear voices. They sounded miles away but they were voices nonetheless. Even if he couldn't understand a word, it was still comforting in the darkness that surrounded him.

He didn't like the dark.

The dark is the absence of light and it's very much alive. The dark crawls up your bed when you're asleep and enters your dreams, tainting it a jet black. It robs your of hopes and your dreams. It makes you feel as if your life has ended. It is like death. No, it _is_ death.

He didn't like either one of them.

But the voices gave him comfort. They chased away the darkness and gave him light. Light he longed for. He didn't know who the voices belonged to but at the moment he really didn't care.

All he cared about was the voices.

But there were emotions too. Fear, anxiety, guilt, sorrow and so much more. There were too much emotions.

He began to drown. The emotions entered into his body and the darkness came back. The voices began to fade in the background and he tried to reach for them but they faded to nothing. He began to panic, the voices were gone now and so was the light.

New voices started to appear. But these weren't like the others. The new voices were like wicked whispers and they taunted him. He covered his ears to try to block out the whispers but they only intensified.

_STOP IT!_ He opened his mouth to yell but no sound came out. The whispers grew even louder. There was no end to it. He wanted it to stop. Tears streamed down his cheeks and pain joined his torment.

Burning, searing pain.

He screamed silent screams and he writhed in pain.

Darkness.

Death.

Emotions.

Whispers.

Pain.

All these monsters tortured him. Attacking him with everything they had and then adding even more to his misery. He felt like he was falling, he couldn't stand it anymore.

But then he felt it.

A small brush against his mind. Instantly, he latched onto the presence.

It wasn't one of the monsters, that was the only thing he needed.

*~***~Peace~***~*

I looked at our creation with satisfaction. It was no where near ship-quality but it was good enough.

It was a sheet of metal that I bent to a specific shape. It looked more like a boat than anything else but Hank assured me it would make sure the flight was as smooth as possible.

After triple-checking the 'ship' we placed Charles inside as gently as possible. He didn't stir and I don't know if that should be a good thing or a bad thing. Everyone else boarded the ship and we took our positions. Moira and Raven were positioned near Charles to help him during the trip. Sean and Hank positioned near the rear of the 'ship.' Sean was going to be our propeller and Hank was going to help him navigate. Alex had no position because he was to be our weapon should anyone attack us. I was near the front of the 'ship' and I was to keep the 'ship' afloat.

I admit, I wasn't so sure about my plan but it was the best we had and Charles was in desperate need of medical attention.

I took a deep breath and focused.

_The point between rage and serenity..._

Slowly, very slowly, we left the ground. When we reached an appropriate height, Hank gave Sean the signal and Sean started to emit sound waves.

Don't worry Charles, hang on for a little while longer.


	3. Fear of uncertinty

When I opened my e-mail today, my jaw literally hit the floor. Over 50 e-mails...in all my life I have never received more than ten e-mails per year, let alone 50 in 2 days.

I am so happy right now! Just because I love you guys, I'm going to give you another update!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>The presence was familiar.<p>

It was complex, hard to understand and it confused him so much. It was strong yet weak, guarded yet trusting. He couldn't understand it at all. But it was comforting and it lifted him out of the dark, bathing him in light.

He felt safe and secure, he never wanted to leave.

Unfortunately, the darkness didn't like that.

The darkness' claws immediately made a grab for him and he began to sink into the dark. He could see the presence reaching out for him and he did the same but the gap between them was simply too large. It wasn't long before he was once again submerged in the sea of darkness.

The monsters came back and they swirled around him. He tried to make them go away but that only made the monsters more persistent. He wanted peace and rest but the monsters would have none of it. They were intent on never letting him go back to the presence again.

He was not going to let the darkness win.

The darkness resisted his effort and the monsters began attacking him. They fired emotions of sorrow, grief, pain and so much more at him. With each hit he felt his resolve weaken. One after another he was bombarded and it felt like there was no end to his torment. He felt like giving up.

He was falling deeper and deeper into oblivion.

Suddenly, a bright glow pierced the darkness. He looked towards the glow and saw that it was the presence. The presence glowed even brighter and its rays reached him, giving him strength. His resolve started to come back and he began to fight like made. It felt like eternity before he finally wrenched himself away from the darkness. He was free! The darkness began to shrink away and the presence cradled me gently, protecting him.

He was so caught up in his joy that he never saw the darkness' last stand coming before it was too late.

It was a silver coin.

When he saw the coin it was only inches away from his forehead. He thrashed in pain as the coin entered his head. It easily penetrated his skull and came out the other side stained with red.

The presence faded away and so did the only source of comfort that he had left.

All he could feel was pain

And then nothing.

*~***~Peace~***~*

Alex put his head in his hands. The minutes kept ticking by and it seemed like they would never get to a hospital. At least, not in time.

They haven't encountered any threats yet so all he was doing was nothing. That was what irritated him the most. He felt useless; he would do anything to do something.

Without anything to occupy him, his thoughts ran free. He thought about all the times the professor helped him with his problems. No matter how small it was, the professor was there to get him through it. But now, when it was his turn to help the professor...All he could do was wait.

He hated waiting.

*~***~Peace~***~*

Sean never felt so scared in his life. His life didn't seem all that bad anymore compared to what was happening right now. When he thought about it, he had a pretty awesome life. He had good parents, an education and freedom to do what he wanted when he wanted. Sure he didn't have all the riches the professor did but it was good enough for him. He didn't have a harsh past like Erik. He was also not forced to hide his appearance like Raven or Hank.

He lived an average life with no worries.

Now with the professor in critical condition, Sean was at a complete loss. How was he supposed to deal with this! He barely knew how to treat a deep gash let alone a gunshot wound.

He was relieved when Erik put him on propeller duty. Because of that, he didn't have to face taking care of the professor when he barely knew what he was doing.

*~***~Peace~***~*

Hank was gifted with a vast amount of knowledge. Right now he could tell you over a thousand digits of pi and the distance from the Earth to the nearest star besides our Sun.

He also knew about medicine, medical procedures and natural herbs that helped help wounds. He knows these meaningless facts about medicine but what he doesn't know is how to treat a wound. He doesn't know what to do when your friend is shot. He doesn't know how to help the professor.

Knowledge could only get you so far before experience is needed and Hank definitely didn't have much experience.

*~***~Peace~***~*

Moira felt numb.

It was all her fault. Erik was right, Charles is like this all because of her. She was the one who shot Erik. Erik was only defending himself when he deflected the bullet towards Charles. It was an accident. But for her it was a deliberate act. _She_ shot Charles of her own accord.

Now he could be dying all because of her stupidity. What was she thinking! Shooting metal bullets at a man who could control metal.

It was her fault, now she had to fix it. Maybe then, Charles would forgive her.

*~***~Peace~***~*

Raven choked back a sob as she looked at Charles' body. He looked so frail and weak, nothing like the Charles she knew. Charles was the strongest person in the world. Whenever he was at her side, she felt as if both of them could take on the whole universe if need be. He was unstoppable in her eyes.

The truth has finally made itself known.

Raven had forgotten that Charles' power wasn't invincibility. He wasn't immune to dangers, far from it. No matter how unbeatable Charles seemed to be, he is still mortal.

The fact that he as unconscious with a bullet wound to the base of his spine was just...wrong.

*~***~Peace~***~*

The gravity of the situation called for the utmost concentration. If we went too fast, we could very well jostle Charles so much it would hurt him even further. But if we went too slow, we could lose Charles before we even arrive at a hospital.

The only comfort I had was Charles' presence. The light tingle at the back of my mind was the only way I could be assured that Charles wasn't already dead. That small tingle was the only thing keep me sane.

But then it was gone.

Just like that, the tingle was gone.

_CHARLES!_


	4. Omnia mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis

You guys are the most awesomest people ever! Hugs for everyone!

I seriously don't see how my writing is any good at all. Anyway, here's another update.

I hated writing this chapter to be perfectly honest. I just felt kind of depressed.

Oh and I'm very sorry about my poor grammar. English is my second language and um...this is un-beta'd so be prepared for a lot of glaring errors.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>Raven wasted no time in checking Charles' pulse.<p>

Nothing.

"He has no pulse!" She screamed. Moira rapidly placed her hands on Charles chest and started CPR. They were not going to lose him.

"HURRY IT UP SEAN! GET US TO THE ****ING HOSPITAL NOW!" Sean obeyed Raven's command and the ship began to speed up...a lot.

"1...2...3...4...5..."Moira counted in time with her chest compressions. She started to review everything she learned about CPR during her CIA training.

_Ratio of compressions to rescue breaths, thirty to two._

_Thirty compressions at a rate of one hundred per minute._

_Keep the victims's airway open at all times._

_Five cycles of CAB (Chest Compressions. Airway. Breathing) before checking the victim for signs of life. Five cycles should take no longer than two minutes._

After two minutes of CPR Charles was still not breathing. "Charles, please for the love of God, BREATHE!" Moira cried as she resumed CPR.

It wasn't working.

Charles was dying.

*~***~Peace~***~*

I could feel my soul fluctuate in fear, panic and despair. I made my thoughts as loud as possible in hope that maybe, just maybe, Charles would hear them. My efforts were met with silence. I couldn't hear his voice, I couldn't even feel him.

All I felt was mind-numbing cold.

Death.

It took all my willpower to **not** drop the 'ship.' It felt like someone just took their hand, plunged it into my chest and took out half of my soul. Half of the meaning of my life. A bond felt broken and I could not see it ever being repaired. The other half of the bond was simply not there.

It ceased to exist.

_It's all my fault._

_I killed him._

_This is where revenge has gotten me._

_He saved me how many times now and I..._

_I murder him._

_Charles is dead because of me._

How could I be so stupid? So selfish? A tear flowed down my cheek. Then another and another. I couldn't bring myself to stop them.

I lost my faith a long time ago but I still found myself praying for Charles' forgiveness.

*~***~Peace~***~*

Moira was entering her third minute of CPR and Charles was still not breathing. Tears escaped her eyes but she forced herself to calm down. Panicking was the last thing Charles needed.

_"He'll live, you'll see. The professor can't die, it's just impossible."_

_"Two minutes without blood being pumped to the brain and the nerve cells residing in the cerebral cortex start to die..."_

_"Brother please, if you can hear me, just breathe. Please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone again."_

_"Forgive me Charles. I beg of you, please forgive me."_

_"WE'RE HERE!"_

The voices of her comrades faded away as she poured more of her focus onto applying CPR. Moira didn't even register the sounds of fast approaching feet and sirens. All she could hear were the numbers inside her head as she counted her compressions.

Suddenly she heard a foreign voice, "Ma'am, we're going to need you to stand back." At first she ignored but then she finally realized it was only the paramedics. She reluctantly backed away from Charles and once she was about a metre away, her knees buckled. Sean managed to catch her and he slowly lowered her onto the ground. Moira was shaking in shock over what just happened.

Sean awkwardly wrapped his arms around her as Moira started to sob. He rubbed soothing circles on her back and he felt relived when Moira started to calm down. After a couple of seconds Sean pulled away and stood up, helping Moira on the way.

"Are you going to be okay?" The redhead asked and Moira nodded. She wiped away any tears that she had left and composed herself. "Let's go," was all she said before she walked into the hospital.

When they entered, the others were already in the waiting room. They took a seat near them without a word.

*~***~Peace~***~*

I hated hospital. I really did. They reminded me too much of the time I spent in Schmidt/Shaw's torture lab. The gleaming white walls, the suffocating antiseptic smell and the screams. The horrible screams of pure anguish and misery.

The memories came flooding back. My mother's death, my first kill, the torture sessions and that laugh filled with pure evil.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. It would do me no good right now. Besides, I was not the only one suffering.

My eyes flickered over to Raven. She had changed into her human persona and her eyes were shimmering with tears. I knew she was on the verge of losing control, her blond hair was tinted red.

Hank wasn't faring as well either. I could see a murderous glint in his eyes whenever the other people in the waiting room glanced at him with fear and discriminatory looks. Even after we explained it was for a movie, people were still suspicious. But Hank also glared at me and some points, he glare was filled with anger and blame.

Feeling oddly uncomfortable I shifted my gaze over to Alex. He fidgeted with his fingers, constantly meshing them together and then unraveling them before repeating the process. He kept biting his lip and looking at the clock.

Sean eyes were filled with worry. I knew that everything that was happening was a new and scary experience for him. He was still 'wet behind the ears'.

Moira's face was blank. She was trained to keep a level head under situations of pressure. But she had no training that taught her how to keep a calm soul. I could see the storm of emotions that were just beneath the surface of her eyes.

*~***~Peace~***~*

Hours ticked by before a voice brought us out of our thoughts, "Are you the family members of Dr. Charles Xavier?"

We all stood up in a flash but Raven was the first to respond, "Yes."

"I'm Dr. Mortis. Um...I think you should all sit down."

I felt dread bubbling inside my stomach as I sat down. Whatever this Mortis guy was going to say, it was obviously not going to be good.

"Alright, its the usual good news and bad news thing. The good news is, Dr. Xavier is alive," a chorus of sighs of reliefs followed. Dr. Mortis allowed himself a small smile before dropping it and continuing, "Unfortunately, he has sustained severe damage to the lumbar vertebra. More specifically the spinal nerves located there that carry out the brain's message to move his legs."

The doctor took a deep breath before continuing, "the bullet had severed many of the nerves and we fixed it as best as we could. Despite our efforts, his injury is...a complete one, meaning that he has completely lost function and feeling from waist down. He will have to be put through rehabilitation after he is released from the hospital. We plan on discharging him fifteen days after he has woken up."

Mortis paused and looked down at his feet as if debating is he should continue or not, "um, he has also sustained some damage to his cerebral cortex. When the paramedics brought him here...his brain had already been oxygen deprived for at least three minutes, four at most. Because of this-"

"Many of the nerve cells in the cerebral cortex have died resulting in damage to his memory, thought, language and consciousness." Hank finished grimly. Dr. Mortis looked at him with surprise but he nodded.

When we absorbed the information into our minds, we didn't know what to feel. I felt elated that Charles was alive, but there was also overwhelming guilt, sorrow and shock at what Charles sustained.

Everything Charles is going to suffer is because of me.

"Can we see him?" Moira asked snapping me out of my thoughts. Dr. Mortis shook his head and replied, "I'm sorry but Dr. Xavier is under too much stress to receive visitors. He is also in a drug-induced coma to help with the pain even if you did visit him, he wouldn't even be able to know you're there. I promise tomorrow you can visit him but no earlier than that."

*~***~Peace~***~*

He began to feel again.

He opened his eyes and saw that he wasn't in the dark's abyss anymore. This time he was at a mansion.

It was beautiful.

_Clack. Clack. Clack._

He turned around just in time to see a horse drawn carriage coming towards him with no signs of stopping. He tensed up and covered his face with his arms, bracing himself.

But nothing.

When the impact didn't come, he opened his eyes and saw that the carriage was going through him.

What was going on? Was this a memory? His memory?

Ignoring the questions arising in his head, he began following the carriage to the mansion. When it stopped, three people got out.

It was a man, a woman and a child the age of five.

Once they were off, the carriage left.

The family (?), stood there for a while before entering the mansion. He entered with them, curiosity getting the better of him.

Then the man spoke, "Welcome to home sweet home."

For some reason, the man's smooth, articulated voice caused shudders to run down his spine. It sounded wrong and evil despite it's cheery tone. Everytime he looked at the man, he felt evil radiate from him.

Who is this man?

Who are these people?

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><p>Sorry for the swear word! I couldn't find anything else that fit the mood.<p> 


	5. Songs from the heart

Heyo.

Omnia mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis - All things change, and we change with them. (roughly)

Sorry, I just had to throw a bit of Latin in the story.

Um, I don't mean to sound like a jerk or anything but please review!

Oh and try listening to this while reading: http : / sebastianlarsson . bandcamp . com / track / across - the - night - sky

Disclaimer: I know nothing but the plot.

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><p>Then his vision blurred. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was in different a room. He guessed he was still in the same mansion because the boy and the man from before were in the room too.<p>

He didn't know their names so he named the boy, 'Child' and the man, 'Man.' They weren't the most original names but they worked.

Child was on the floor, crumpled into a little ball. He had multiple cut wounds and the knife that was used to make them was covered in red blood. Bruises dotted his left arm and face and there was blood...everywhere. He knew Child had much more injuries under his clothes. He rushed over to Child to help him. He reached for Child's face to wipe off the blood that was starting to dry when his hand went right through the boy.

That's right, this was a memory of some sort.

He watched in horror as Man walked over to where Child was and picked the boy up by the collar of his shirt. Child whimpered but otherwise stayed completely silent. Man growled and punched Child in the gut.

"STOP IT!" He yelled but they couldn't hear him. He wasn't even there so it was impossible for the Man to hear his command. Though, even if Man could hear him, he knew that Man wouldn't listen to a word he said.

Tears ran down his eyes as he watched Child being beaten. He was kicked, punched, slapped and spat at. There was no end to it. The hits kept on coming. The small wounds that stopped bleeding began to bleed again as Man made sure that he hit them. Child looked like he was in a lot of pain but he held all his yells in. His heart broke at the sight of a child, barely over five, having to go through such an ordeal.

"STOP IT NOW! STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE YOU MONSTER!"

"Father...I'm sorry..." He was so caught up in yelling at Man that he almost didn't hear Child speak. Man was Child's Father. He growled in disgust when realization hit him. Child's own father was hurting him.

Man however, just took Child and dragged him somewhere. He followed them to see where they would go. Child seemed to know exactly where they were going because he started screaming, "FATHER I'M SORRY! PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! I'LL BE A GOOD BOY! I PROMISE! PLEASE FATHER!"

His cries fell on deaf ears and soon Man stopped in front of a door. "I hope you learn to obey your father next time boy," Man said in a cold, emotionless voice. With that, Man opened the door and threw Child into the dark room. Man closed the door and left Child without any regrets.

When Man left he walked through the door and entered the dark room. There was no light but he still knew where Child was. Child was at the door, banging it with all his might as if hitting it hard enough would make it open. Child was sobbing and begging for his father to let him out. Briefly he wondered where the woman from before was. It seemed to him that the woman was Child's mother.

Aren't mothers supposed to love their children? If so, where is Child's mother? Why isn't she helping him? But then again, fathers are supposed to love their children too. Man obviously resented his son.

He was brought out of his musings when Child started shrieking. He saw Child clutch his head and scream. He didn't know what was going on but he went over to Child and sat near the boy.

"It's alright. Don't worry, you'll be fine." He knew that Child couldn't hear him but he kept saying comforting words anyway.

After hours of screaming, even when his voice went hoarse, Child stopped and just collapsed.

Then the door opened and light poured into the dark room. Child looked up and saw the silhouette of his father. Man grunted and closed the door leaving both he and Child in the darkness once more.

*~***~Peace~***~*

_I held out my hands in front of me and tried with all my might to move the coin. My face turned red from my efforts but the coin remained stationary. Behind me, I could hear my mother's fearful breaths as she stared at the barrel of the gun. I tired again, this time with more vigor, but it yielded the same results._

_"Eins." (One.)_

_That cold voice motivated me more than ever. I knew that the owner of the voice had nothing against killing for his own personal gain. I knew that he would kill my mother without another thought._

_"Zwei." (Two.)_

_No matter how much times I tried, the coin still wouldn't move. Faintly, I heard my mother say it was okay. That everything was alright. But things were far from 'alright.' _

_Come on! Move! MOVE!_

_"Drei" (Three.)_

**_BANG!_**

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

My eyes snapped opened and I bolted straight up. I looked around wildly before I realized I was only in my hotel room. This wasn't Schmidt's office, this wasn't where Mother died. I wiped away the beads of sweat that were forming on my forehead with the back of my hand. After calming my erratic breathing, I swung my legs over the bed and stood up. I entered the bathroom and turned on the faucet. I dipped my hands under the stream of water and splashed the cold water on my face. I did that a couple times before turning off the faucet and drying my face.

I ran a hand through my hair and looked at myself in the mirror. This was the third time I woke up tonight and I looked messier than ever. With bloodshot eyes, dark purple bags under my eyes and pale, sweaty skin, it was obvious that I needed sleep.

I sighed and exited the bathroom. It was only then that I realized what I caused during my sleep...again. The metal lamp near my bed was bent at odd angles, the window frame was pulled out of its place and twisted into a neat little ball, and there were a lot of objects strewn on the floor. I did what I could to repair the damage I caused.

Afterwards, I sat on the edge of my bed. I put my head in my hands and sighed. It was four in the morning and there was no way I was going to sleep again. Not after that nightmare. I closed my eyes as the first nightmare of the night flashed through my head. It was about Charles. I could still see his bloody body. Even though it didn't happen, my nightmare made the image so vivid and real I can't help but be scared of it.

He looked and felt just like mother did when she was shot. Blood pouring out of the wound, the icy skin and the dead, glazed eyes staring at nothing.

I was not going to let history repeat itself.

I opened my eyes and forced the image out of my head. I took a deep breath and searched for Charles' presence through our bond. (1)

When I was in the waiting room, I was so caught up in my worry that I couldn't feel him. When Dr. Mortis told me he was alive, the worry that way clouding our bond went away and I could feel his presence again. All throughout the night, I've been searching for Charles just to make sure he was still alive and that I wasn't dreaming.

I sighed in relief when I felt Charles.

I retreated from Charles to allow him some rest. Now assured, my eyelids began to droop and I fell into a dreamless sleep despite my efforts to stay awake.

*~***~Peace~***~*

The scene faded away and a new scene took its place though it was still in the mansion from before. He was in a different room this time, it felt familiar but he couldn't really determine why. All the room contained was a baby grand piano. For some reason he felt the piano calling out to him. His feet started to move of their own accord and soon he was standing right in front of the ivory keys. He extended a hand towards the middle C key and pressed it. Well, tried to at least. He needs to remember that he can't physically touch anything.

Then Child came into his thoughts. He wondered what happened after the last scene faded. Was Child okay? Was he dead? He felt incredibly guilty about what happened. Even though he knew there was absolutely nothing he could have done, he still felt like he should have done at least _something_. Anything would have been better than nothing.

The sound of a door opening attracted his attention.

It was the Child again but older this time. He looked about ten years old. But Child's eyes looked much older than ten years. His big blue eyes looked like they were made out of glass. They were eyes that no child should have. They were eyes of the dead.

When Child walked into the room, the door slammed closed behind him. The freaky part about it was Child didn't close it himself. It closed on its own.

Child walked up the the piano and began to play.

With each note, he could feel the raw emotions from Child just radiating off of him. They were so intense, his knees nearly buckled. He could feel the torment that Child was suffering. The pain Child felt became his pain. All the sorrow in Child's soul became embedded into his own. Everything that Child was feeling, he could feel too.

He was so engrossed in the song, that he didn't notice the tear rolling down his cheek. He didn't notice the torrent of tears that came afterwards either. He dropped to his knees and hugged himself, sobbing. It was starting to come back to him. He began to remember why this room was so familiar. He had been in this room before. This was his safe haven from the world. The piano Child was playing...He has played it before. The song, he played it as well.

Everything felt so familiar because this mansion was his home. He lived here before. Man and the woman from the previous scenes were his parents, he could remember that much.

And Child was his...brother?

Or was he...

Child?

* * *

><p>Depressed right now. I feel so bad for doing this to poor Charles. Both present and past.<p>

I don't know much about the X-men Universe so I don't know about Charles' past (if it was even explained), but this is an AU so...yeah.

In my mind, Child/Charles was playing this song on the piano: http : / sebastianlarsson . bandcamp . com / track / into - the - dark

But the song above works too. I just used it because it sounded nice.

(1) If you were confused as to why Erik was able to find Charles presence like a telepath would, remember that I mentioned that those two had a bond. Before Charles' heart stopped beating on the way to the hospital, Charles was interacting with a presence right? That was Erik and Charles' bond. I'm making their bond stronger than all the other bond because it just seems like their bond is stronger. To me anyway. Interpret as you please, these are just my thoughts. Don't have to listen to me.


	6. Ignorance

*Angels start singing as I rise up*

I think I might've died.  
>I think I might've cried.<br>The happiness I felt,  
>will forever reach the sky.<br>Music reaches my ears.  
>The time has finally come and now I say goodbye because,<br>I think I might've died.

Get off the Chair of Control Poet! I need Writer on that to continue the fanfic!

Poet: No, I'm on a poetry roll so don't mess up my concentration man.

*Face palms* Welcome to the heck that is my mind. I have my emotions (Sorrow, Happiness, Regret etc.) and personae (Poet, Writer, Box of Creativity etc.) living in my brain as imaginary people/objects. You see, there is a chair in there. It' call the Chair of Control. Who ever sits in it has basic controls of me and my emotions. Let's say Sorrow sits in the Chair. I will then begin to feel sorrow. If Box of Creativity is in the Chair, then I get hit with an explosion of creativity for art, and only art. Writer is the one who brings my creativity to writing. Anywho...

THANK-YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS GUYS/GALS! I'm very happy that you like my writing.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

><p>Raven sighed and slumped into the chair she was sitting on. It was a long night and she was only able to sleep at two o'clock. Not only that, all of them had headed for the hospital at six which gave her a measly four hours of sleep. She grabbed her cup of coffee and brought it to her lips to drink it. She frowned when no coffee came. Looking into the cup, Raven saw that is was empty. She sighed, it was only seven in the morning and she had already drank three cups of coffee.<p>

_'Raven, you know I don't like you drinking coffee. It can cause a multitude of problems such as...'_

She smiled when the memory filtered through her mind. One day at the mansion, Charles caught her drinking coffee. He frowned and began to tell her about all the negative effects of coffee. She tuned him out when he started and just drank her coffee while he babbled. "You were always worrying about me," she whispered as she stared into her cup. Raven's smile fell when she thought about all the times Charles had cared for her, heck he even accepted her into his home when they first met.

Then she thought about how she acted towards Charles. He gave her a home, food and friendship. What did she give him? Well, there was that time he nearly broke his arm because she dared him to climb the vines surrounding the mansion. She then began what most parents called the 'teenager phase.' How many times did she sneak out of the mansion only to come back hours later to a worried-half-to-death Charles? To many times count that's for sure. Now that Raven thought about it, she probably took away ten years of his life just by making him worry. Oh and who could forget her latest crisis about being 'normal?' She knew Charles would never understand how she feels because he doesn't have scaly blue skin and yellow eyes. He doesn't look like a freak, he looks normal. Then again, she could never understand Charles either. What did she know about how telepathy works? For all she knew, Charles could've been suffering far greater than she did.

All in all, Charles would have been better off without her.

"Hello?" She looked up and saw the smiling face of . Raven gave a nod of recognition and waited for the doctor to speak. Said doctor looked around at all the people present before saying, "Dr. Charles Xavier should be coming out of the drug-induced coma within the hour. I will come back soon to take you to him. For visiting, one person at a time and five minutes each. Does everyone understand?"

With a multitude of nods, Dr. Mortis disappeared.

When he left Raven stood up and left for the cafeteria. One more cup of coffee couldn't hurt.

*~***~Peace~***~*

Once the scene faded to black just like the others did he stood up and wiped away his tears. His mind began to process everything that he had just learned. The scenes were memories, he figured that much. Now, all he had to do was figure out why he was seeing these. The first thing that popped into his head was the idea of memory loss. Maybe he had lost his memories and this was his mind's way of retrieving them. After contemplating other possible explanations, he decided that this theory was the one that made the most sense.

He began to review everything he knew so far. His name was Charles Xavier. He is thirty years old and he's a professor. He has pale skin, piercing blue eyes and long, dark brown wavy hair. He has the power of telepathy which brands him as a mutant. He had a rough childhood but the only things he could recall about it were his abusive father, his practically non-existent mother, the refuge he took in piano playing and the mansion in New York he spent his childhood in. He could remember some names as well. The memories that were attached with the names were full of holes. That was when the stream of memories stopped.

Before he could do anything else, a blinding white light filled his vision. He threw his arms in front of his face and waited until the light was gone. When it went away he tentively dropped his arms and looked at the new surroundings. Or rather, the familiar surroundings.

He was back in dark's abyss.

Fear started to settle in his heart. He remembered everything that happened here last time. The monsters, the darkness, the coin and the presence. Upon remembering the presence he looked around wildly for it but it wasn't there.

_Forget it._

He spun around to try to find out where the voice came from but it seemed to come from all around him.

_You're not going to find that annoyance this deep into the abyss._

"Where are you?" He asked, his voice echoing throughout the empty space.

_I'm here; turn around._

He did as the mysterious voice instructed and he was met with the sight of a metal cage. He couldn't see anything but a dark fog beyond the metal bars.

"Who or what are you?"

The voice didn't answer but the sounds of shoes hitting the floor did. The clacking sounds got louder and louder signalling the source of the voice was getting closer and closer until it stopped. But the source was still in the fog.

_Hello, how are you?_

"Don't avoid my question! Who are you?"

_My name is Charles Xavier but call me Xavier to make it easier for both of us._

He took a step back only to be met with the feeling of metal bars. Looking behind him he saw that somehow he had been put inside the cage as well.

"How can you be Charles Xavier if I'm Charles Xavier."

_That's simple. I'm you of course._

"Me? You can't be me if I'm right here"

_Oh no, I' assure you, I **am** you._

"Then show yourself and prove it!"

He was met with silence before the dark fog in the cage cleared and he saw what he was speaking to. He gaped at the figure. It looked exactly like him.

_Yes, I am. You don't remember do you? A shame really._

"What do you mean by that?"

_You'll see, you'll see._

Then another flash of white light and the abyss was gone.

*~***~Peace~***~*

_Beep...Beep...Beep..._

I looked down at Charles' body and I felt my blood boil, 'Look at what you've done Erik. Look at what you've done.' Charles looked like he wouldn't even be able to survive without the machines that were connected to him. The IV drip, oxygen mask and other instruments.

__Beep...Beep...Beep...__

I glared at the heart monitor with annoyance and it took _all_ of my self-control to **NOT** destroy the damn thing.

__Beep...Beep...Beep...__

A groan made me forget the monitor as I focused on the source. Charles groaned again and opened his eyes but closed it upon getting blinded by the lights.

All of a sudden he started to struggle. He was slowly getting through his drowsy haze and to him, waking up to a foreign place was the last thing he wanted. I understood what he was feeling and I put a hand on his shoulder and tried to send some reassuring feelings to him.

__Beep...Beep...Beep...__

"It's okay Charles, I'm here. You're safe. Safe."

Slowly he stopped struggling and opened his eyes again. I felt happy at seeing his big blue eyes again. I was relieved that at least something remained constant through this whole ordeal. He looked at me and struggled to speak. I hushed him but he was still determined to speak. It took a full minute but he finally spoke in a muffled voice, "Who...Who are you?"

__Beep...Beep...CRASH!__

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><p>Hehehe!<p> 


	7. Wounds that never heal

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

* * *

><p>He was still woozy when he woke up.<p>

He tried to open his eyes but regretted the action when the lights overhead nearly blinded him. Where was he?

_"You're a doctor so SAVE HIM!"_

_"Your daughter will make a full recovery Ms. Lynn."_

_"Code blue! Code blue!"_

_"Daddy, is mommy coming home today?"_

Bloody hell! Where are all these voices coming from! He groaned, it was too loud! Shut up! Shut up! For the love of God, shut up!

"It's okay Charles, I'm here. You're safe. Safe." Then all the voices silenced themselves. He felt reassurance flood through him and he began to calm down. A while later he hear a series of mental clicks in his head. They were probably a subconscious move to block out the voices that he heard. With the voices were gone his head started to clear. Once he was calm enough, he started to establish more control over his haywire powers so that he wasn't broadcasting anything. He was just as good a broadcaster as he was a receiver. Someone could've been suffering from his feelings just like he was suffering from the voices.

Now he can remember why he heard the voices. He could hear the voices because of the telepathy he had. He had the power to read minds.

With powers finally stable, he forced his eyelids to open and turned to the person who spoke. The person's presence felt oddly familiar. It was like he knew this person...

Of course! This was not just a presence. This was _the_ presence.

"Who...Who are you?" He asked. It would not do to now know the name of the presence who had helped him in dark's abyss. The man's eyes shone with disbelief and hurt before softly responding, "Charles...It's me, Erik. Erik Lensherr."

Erik...Lensherr?

He stared at the man for a while before his eyes widened in recognition. "E-Erik?" He asked quietly. Erik smiled and let out a short breath of relief, "Yes, it's me Charles. Don't wo-"

Erik stopped mid-sentence when Charles clutched his head and whimpered. Memories started to flood the poor telepath's brain.

_There were dozens of missiles just frozen in mid air. Charles was relieved that Erik had stopped the missiles in time to avoid obliteration but that relief was gone the moment Erik made the missiles turn around. He was aiming right for the humans._

_"Erik, you said so yourself, we are the better men. Now is the time to prove it. There are thousands of men on those ships Erik! They're just following orders." He said as he stared at his friend with growing concern. Charles trusted Erik would do the right thing. Erik might've had a horrible past but that doesn't mean he is horrible himself. There is good in Erik, he even felt it. Charles held onto that little flame of hope in his heart and prayed that his trust wouldn't get anyone killed or injured._

_Erik turned his head to face Charles and answered, "I'm been at the mercy of just following orders. Never again." His eyes grew cold and the missiles were launched._

_"Erik...stop this now!" He yelled as he looked at his friend and searched for anything that dictated that Erik was going to stop his actions. He searched and searched but found nothing. The flame flickered out and Charles knew what he had to do._

_He tackled Erik to the ground, momentarily disrupting his control over the missles. Erik was surprised but he was quick to retaliate. When the others rushed over to help, Erik sent them flying backwards. Distracted, he didn't even see Charles' fist until it was too late. Charles made a grab for the helmet but Erik recovered and grappled Charles' left wrist before punching him with his free hand. Charles felt the impact of the sand and everything blurred for a moment. Erik looked back at the falling missiles and made then continue their course._

_"Don't make me do this Charles." Erik said with sincerity as he reeled a fist back. They weren't supposed to fight, they were supposed to stand stand side by side. Charles didn't answer as he threw Erik off, once again making the missiles falter. Erik didn't stay down for long but Charles had a much more difficult time as black threatened to fill his vision._

_'You know, now that I think about. Our friendship really is like the course of the missiles. There are times it's flight is smooth and others where it isn't. But it always has a bitter, inevitable end,' Erik thought as he sent the remaining missiles flying._

**_BANG!_**

_On reflex Erik deflected the bullet Moira shot at him. Moira didn't care as she pulled the trigger again._

**_BANG!_**

_All Charles could see was Erik making a motion and all of a sudden...Pain._

Then the memories stopped.

*~***Peace***~*

He could see a beach with bits of metal everywhere. But the image left as quickly as it came.

I saw Charles' hands fall as he stared to shake with fear. I grew very concerned over his behaviour and tried to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. But Charles shied away from my hand, well tried to. Once he moved, Charles found out that his legs weren't responding. Charles snapped his head towards his legs and gave out a strangled cry of surprise, "My legs! I-I can't feel my legs!"

"Charles! Calm yourself! Calm your mind!" I yelled, trying to push past the feelings of panic and utter despair Charles was sending me. Wether or not he knew he was doing it, I didn't care. I just wanted Charles to stop. I grasped Charles' shoulder in a frim grip again to try to calm the frenzied telepath but it did nothing. Any common sense I had just went out the window as stress, guilt, sleep deprivation and the situation my friend was in made me snap.

"CALM YOURSELF DAMMIT!" I hadn't intended it to be so harsh. Charles immediately stopped his movements and tense up. His breaths were coming out in short puffs as he glanced at me fearfully before turning his head away.

A stray thought filtered through my mind, 'Erik had hurt me already and he could very well do it again. I'm going to die. Erik is going to finish what he started.'

I felt guilt bubble up in my stomach.

"_Please_...please don't hurt me."

My heart broke in two when I heard Charles speak. In the short time I've known him, Charles was never this scared.

_Remember Erik, you did this and you alone._

I stood up and left the room. When I entered the waiting room Raven stood up and walked over to me. "Is he okay?" She asked with concern. I nodded almost robotically and sat down on a chair. I saw Raven's expression brighten and I felt mine darken. Raven was just about to leave the waiting room to visit Charles in ICU Room 224 when I said, "Wait."

She did what I said and waited but she looked very confused. "What's wrong?" She asks. At first I didn't answer but after a moment of silence I replied in a voice loud enough for the others to hear, "Hank was right. Charles did lose his memory. Some of it at least."

"Well what did he forget?" I heard Sean asked.

"He forgot who I was when he first saw me. It took him a while to recognize me. When he did, Charles clutched his head and bent over in pain. I didn't know what to do. He... After a while, Charles dropped his hands and started to shake in fear. He was afraid of me, he even tried to move away from me." I paused to compose myself as I trembled as my emotions spun out of control, "I was confused at first but then I remembered that right after Charles clutched his head I saw a beach marred with debris. Charles remembered the beach scene. He rememberd me hurting him. He might remember who I am but what he does remember about me are probably all about the terribile things I've done to him."

There was a tense silence as what I said sunk in.

"Oh," Raven said softly but then her voice strengthened as she smirked, "we'll just have to make new memories for him. Better, happier memories."

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><p>Ohohoho! Review please!<p> 


	8. Trust

Does anyone want to be my beta?

Inner Editor: I...I feel insulted.

*Pats I.E.* There, there.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and the madness I call the inside of my mind.

* * *

><p>Charles flickered in and out of consciousness after Erik had left. Unsurprisingly, all that moving he did took a lot out of him even though he barely moved at all. He was about to fall asleep when he heard the door click open. Mentally cursing, he turned his head towards the doorway to see who entered. He opened an eye so that it was just a mere slit and saw that it was a blond woman who was in her mid to late-twenties. 'Oh no,' he thought knowing exactly who it was.<p>

He closed his eye and chose to ignore her hoping that if he pretended to be asleep then she would go away. Charles heard the woman's footsteps until they abruptly stopped. A short gasp followed before the woman began to yell at the top of her lungs, "NUUUUUUUURSE!"

Charles groaned and opened his eyes to look at the blond. Upon his 'waking,' she clamped her mouth shut with both her hands and stared back at him the with deer-in-the-headlights look.

"Oops."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Raven, I believe that it not the proper way to act when an injured person is in the room."

He barely managed to get into a sitting position before he was crushed by a hug. He made half-hearted attempts to free himself from Raven's vice-like grip before relenting.

"Charles! You remembered me!" She hid none of her happiness.

"Of course, There is only one person in the world who would do something like that. I, unfortunately, am related to that person."

Raven huffed, knowing he was only playing, before turning serious, "Charles, do you really remember me?"

"Yes. You're my little sister, Raven Darkhölme. You've been living with me since I was twelve." Raven smiled in response and ruffled his hair lightly. "Okay, you passed the test now how about this...Read my mind Charles." He looked at her with surprise, "Have you gone daft? Never in my life have I heard you say that, it's always, 'If you read my mind you're dead Charles.'"

"Awesome, your not a total amnesiac."

"I...I don't know if I should take that as an insult or a compliment."

"So you remember practically everything about me?"

"I believe so."

"You know about your powers?"

"To an extent."

"How about thse people? Name them from left to right." She shoved a photograph into my hands. He wasn't able to fully scan it before a nurse barged into the room with a defibulator, "What's the emergency!"

Raven and Charles turned towards her in a casual manner. Seeing nothing wrong the nurse gave us an indignant looked before Raven pointed at the heart monitor. The nurse's left eye twitched before turning to glare at Raven.

"Hey, it was like that when I came here."

"Yeah, yeah yeah. The heart monitor blew up on its own. It wasn't your fault, I know." She said in a sarcastic voice as she unhooked the heart monitor and wheeled it out of his room.

"Someone's cranky"

"She's probably has a lot to deal with Raven." Charles said as he focused on the picture again. It was a picture of six people standing side by side wearing matching costumes. He recognized himself, Raven and Erik. It took a while longer to recognize Hank, Sean and Alex.

"Hank, Sean, myself, E-Erik, you and then Alex."

Raven tried not to notice the look of fear that flashed through Charles 'eyes when he said Erik's name,"Great. Now tell me who Moira, Angel and Armando are."

"Moira is...someone I probably know. Angel betrayed us and defected to...uh...Shell's side? Armando... May his soul rest in peace."

"Really? Shell's side?"

"Isn't that right?"

"Hehe. Yeeaaaah, no."

They sent the last of Raven's five minutes talking about anything that came to mind. Truthfully, Raven didn't care about the topic she just wanted to her Charles' voice. It was weak and there was an occasional stutter but it gave her comfort. Charles was alive.

After Nurse Psychotic, as dubbed by Raven, came back with Charles' heart monitor, Charles began to nod off. Noticing this, Raven smiled and tucked Charles in despite his weak protests. In a couple seconds, Charles was out like a light and Raven went back to the waiting room.

"Sorry Hank, Charles is out cold." Raven said upon seeing Hank standing up to visit Charles. Hank looked like he was about to ignore Raven but sat down after a moment's contemplation. He sighed and asked her, "How much did he remember?"

"He remembered our names...well most of ours anyway. Charles even recognized me in my human form, even saying that he remembers almost everything about me. Charles still doesn't remember a lot about some people. That or something is blocking his memories somehow."

"What did he remember about everyone else?" Moira asked quietly.

"Um for you Moira...he can only remember knowing you. Sorry."

Moira tried not to look heartbroken as she replied with a smile, "D-Don't be, it's fine."

"You sure?" Raven asked Moira who just nodded, "Okay, moving on. Charles seemed to know who Alex, Hank and Sean were."

"Wait. Seemed?"

*~***~Peace~***~*

He was back in dark's abyss. Charles growled, he hated this place.

_Hello Charles._

"Xavier."

_Ah, so you remembered my name. How touching._

"It's part of my name, how can I forget. Stupid clone."

_Stop calling me clone Charles, it's rather childish._

"How did you know?"

_I am you remember Charlie-boy? Your thoughts are my thoughts and my thoughts are yous._

"Wonderful. Bloody wonderful."

_Moving on, aren't you going to thank me?_

"For what?"

_You would've been killed by Erik if I hadn't managed to restore your memories. You're lucky that the memory was one of the ones that didn't completely die along with the rest._

What do yo-

_Erik hurt you. He shot you, well Moira did but that's besides the point. He was the one who helped you in the abyss did he not? After he gained your trust, he shoots you. Isn't that called betrayal? Or something equally bad?_

But that ca-

_Has he done anything worth trusting? Have any of them done anything worth your trust?_

Ye-

_Isn't he just like dear Father?_

I chose not to respond.

_You know, it's because of Erik and his friends that you're like this. He left you quite literally, half a man. I know you know I'm right so stop denying yourself Charles._

When Charles opened his eyes, the ceiling was back. He tried to ignore the numbness in his legs as he focused on the conversation he had with Xavier.

It is possible that...Xavier was right?

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><p>D'aww, who love the sibling relationship Charles and Raven have? I do for sure!<p> 


	9. Cicatrix manet

First off, I want to thank my beta, Romanec!

This awesome author had to bear my horrible grammar and spelling. Let's all give him a round of applause!

*Claps* *Claps* *Claps* *Claps* *Claps*

Writer: I think you should move on with the story.

Fine, fine.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot

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><p>Charles stared out the window of the airplane.<p>

It had been two weeks since he was admitted into the hospital, and it had been one of the most grueling periods of his life. He was constantly swarmed with medical examinations and tests, not to mention the fact that he also had to deal with recovering whatever memory fragments he could. Raven and her friends had helped him immensely; though he hadn't been able to remember much, they were always there to comfort him when he got frustrated over not be able to recall the simplest of things.

Really, who could forget their own _birthday_?

However, he couldn't help but be a little cautious around Erik. Charles had grown to trust the others but he hadn't been able to completely trust Erik. He trusted Erik not to _kill _him, but...

Charles shook his head clear of the thoughts. He couldn't be biased by only memories.

The three hour flight was uneventful and they soon landed in Westchester County, New York. They took a cab to the mansion, and Charles tried not to notice the wince Raven made when Hank helped him into his seat.

He hated pity.

After the drive, Charles found himself staring at the mansion with awe. Sure he had seen it in his memories, but to see it in _real life_...

"Welcome to home sweet home."

He suppressed a flinch in response to Erik's words.

***~***~Peace~***~***

It was late at night and I wandered around in the hallways, trying to stay awake so I wouldn't have to face my nightmares. While I was walking, I noticed that the light in the library was still on. Opening the door I found Charles in his wheelchair reading a book.

"Charles." Charles jumped at the sound of my voice, but looked up from his book to look at me anyway. I gestured towards the chessboard not far from us. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it and nodded. Charles wheeled himself to one side of the chessboard and I sat in a chair across from him. "Black or White?"

"White." It was an automatic response, and I smiled. Charles always chose White. It was comforting to see something else he hadn't forgotten about. I let Charles move first, and a couple moves later he had already captured one of my rooks, two pawns, and a bishop.

"I see you haven't lost your touch, Charles." He didn't respond to me, instead choosing to move his rook up four spaces. I captured it with my knight which was then captured with Charles' own knight. The fireplace crackled in the background, filling up the silence between us.

"Charl-"

"Checkmate." Charles cut me off with a quiet voice. I could feel fear radiating off him as he captured my king. The game ended there, and Charles wheeled himself away.

"Wait!" I yelled desperately. _Please_ Charles, stay.

He didn't turn back.

I didn't know why I was doing this anymore. My friendship with Charles had already shattered and all I was doing was trying to piece it back together with no glue. It was a hopeless cause. What did I hope to gain out of this anyway?

_'You know, Charles would do anything for you if need be. To him, nothing is a lost cause. Why don't you do the same?'_

That was right. Charles would always try to help me. He risked his life to save a stranger. Charles was always willing to go the extra mile for anyone. He helped me to see the light when all I saw was darkness. He tried to help me forget my quest for revenge even though I had already fallen too far to be saved. I had to do something. Not for my sake, but for his. I would restore our friendship.

I _would_ help him.

***~***~Peace~***~***

The mansion was eerily silent as I walked back to my room.

_Erik..._

I felt the hairs on my neck stand up as I stopped walking. I listened for anything that sounded out of place. But there was no sound. All was silent. I commanded the coins in my pocket to float around me.

_Hurry, you don't want to be too late to save him._

A shudder ran down my spine. There was a feeling in my gut demanding that I get to Charles as fast as possible. I dropped the coins and dashed down the hall.

Something was wrong.

_Go to sleep..._

I had no time to react before my body hit the floor.

***~***~Peace~***~***

When I woke up, I wasn't in the hall anymore. I pushed myself up from my position on the floor and looked around. The first thing I noticed was the piano in front of me. It was broken and covered with something, but it was too dark to see what it was. I approached the piano and the scent of something coppery filled my nostrils.

_Blood_.

'What the heck is going on here?' I thought slightly creeped out. I backed away from the piano only to trip over something. I looked down to see what it was, and dead eyes gazed back at me. Shocked, I simply stared back, frozen in place. Sure, I had seen dead eyes before; I had looked into the eyes of the men I had killed. But this person looked almost exactly like...

Charles.

This man was obviously older, but the resemblance was too much. Long dark hair and eyes the color of the sky … _dead_. I scrambled to stand up and ran out of the room. But the hallways weren't much better than the room. Dead bodies, blood and the silent screams of the dead that echoed throughout the mansion...It was literally a _nightmare. _I turned my head away from the sight. Painful memories resurfaced in my mind, but I forced myself to suppress them. _Not now_.

I ran, not caring about where I would end up. As long as it wasn't here. Panic was taking over my body.

**Pitter, patter**

**Pitter, patter**

I stopped running and turned around to face the source of the noise. It was a child, no older than nine. He was covered in blood and tears, "_They're dead. They're dead. They're all dead_," endlessly repeating from his lips.

"Who's dead?" I asked, but the child kept whispering his mantra.

Behind him, bloody words decorated the walls.

_Are you next?_

_Notice me, notice me._

_I'm a monster, run._

"Did you do this?" I asked quietly, fearing the answer. The child scared me. He actually _scared_ me.

"_They're dead. They're dead. They're all dead.."_

"Who _are_ you?"

The child stopped speaking and looked at me with glass-like eyes, and said with an insane giggle, "I don't know anymore."

The hallways faded and everything was tainted jet black. A cage materialized in front of me, a person inside, an evil smirk plastered on his face_._

_Welcome to my world Erik._

I felt a sinister presence brush against mine. My soul shuddered at the contact, I haven't felt this coldness since my time with Schmidt.

"Charles?"

It couldn't be Charles. The man looked like him, but Charles would never smirk like that. Charles wasn't evil.

_Yes and no. Close though._

The man basked in darkness and malevolence as he spoke with words corrupt with poison.

"Who the hell are you?" I growled. The look-alike tilted his head, smiling mockingly.

_Call me ... Xavier._

* * *

><p>Once again, let's thank Romanec!<p>

Translations: Yes, again with the Latin.

Cicatrix Manet - The scar remains


	10. Breaking bridges

Again, let's thank Romanec for proof-reading this and practically saving the whole chapter.

You know, I love writing Xavier. He just seems so...awesome.

Writer: You need a new word. I think you over-used awesome.

Tch, who cares! Awesome-ly (don't care if that isn't a word) using the awesome word awesome to awesome-ly describe everything awesome is just...Awesome.

Writer: *Sighs*

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

><p>"Why am I here?" I clenched my hands and forced myself to keep calm.<p>

_We're going to have a nice chat._

"Define _nice_."

Xavier's expression darkened and his blue eyes turned blood red. He put two fingers against his temple and smirked.

_Actually, I prefer to simply show you how nice our conversation will be._

Pain flared up inside my mind, and I clutched my head in an attempt to lessen it, a screaming erupting from my mouth. Xavier broke down my mental barriers as if they were never there, probing around, anything but gentle, tearing at anything he could get his hands on. He forcefully accessed my memories, pulling them out, broadcasting them before my eyes. They weren't re-enactments.

They were _enactments_.

The burning sensation when the marking numbers were permanently imprinted on my arm...

_"This won't hurt a bit son." The man strapped me to a table and looked at me with sympathetic eyes. He brought out a needle._

_"I'm sorry."_

_I screamed when the needle contacted with my skin._

_214782..._

The panic when I was torn from my parents' grasps...

_I was just walking with his parents when I was suddenly grabbed by a man. I yelled in surprise and struggled against the man's hands as my parents were pushed further from me. He was joined by several others and together they started to drag me away._

_"Mother!" I frantically called out. I fought against the men who tried to keep me away from my parents._

_I could see me mother turn around._

_"Mother!"_

_The gate closed shut behind them._

_A gate made of metal..._

The sorrow and anger when my mother died...

_When I heard that gunshot, my world fell apart. My mother was so innocent, so kind...what had she done to deserve this?_

_If only I had moved that coin...Then Mother would still be alive._

_**This is all your fault. You killed her. You killed her by being a pathetic little boy who can't do anything to save his own life. Or anyone else's for that matter, **__a voice taunted._

_Anger built up inside me. This wasn't my fault._

_**Yes it was.**_

_No, this was their fault. They were the ones who killed her. They're the ones guilty!_

_**Then prove it, show them punishment for their sins...**_

The guilt and remorse when I was forced to kill my father...

_"Kill him." Schmidt ordered as he pushed the knife into my hand. My father watched us both._

_I looked at Schmidt in defiance, "No."_

_"Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough._ _**Kill**__ him."_

_"No." Not my father too._

_Schmidt sighed and shook his head. He made a motion with his hands and nine children were brought in. All were covered in grime, dirt and tears, their skin clinging to their bones, a sign that they were being starved. They all shook in fear when they looked at Schmidt's wicked grin._

_"You know, Erik, nine is the biblical number for judgement. Why don't you chose who lives and who dies?"_

_"Erik," my father finally spoke, voice shaking. I looked back to him. "You know I love you very much, and I know that you love me too. But please Erik, do not let these innocent children die. Just...kill me. Kill me. Alright?"_

_I shook my head no and wiped away the tears that were forming._

_My father told the guards that were holding him to bring him closer to me. The guards looked at Schmidt, who shrugged. Once Father was close enough, I hugged him tightly, but while I was distracted, my father took the hand that held the knife and stabbed himself with it._

_"Father!" I yelled desperately, struggling to hold him up._

_But his body fell limp..._

The satisfaction when I drove the coin through Shaw's head...

_"I'm going to count to three and I'm going to move this coin."_

_Schmidt's frozen body didn't answer._

_"Eins." (One.)_

_The coin floated above my hand, and on command began to move forwards._

_"Zwei." (Two.)_

_It was touching his forehead now._

_"Drei" (Three.)_

_The coin moved through the head with ease. It sliced through the skull and shred the fragile tissues, eventually slipping out the back, stained ruby red with blood. It made a small ping when it hit the floor._

_Justified revenge._

The distress in Charles' voice when I sent the missiles flying towards the humans...

_"Erik, you said so yourself, we are the better men. Now is the time to prove it. There are thousands of men on those ships Erik! Good, innocent men. They're just following orders." Charles yelled at me, trying to get me to stop as I turned the missiles to face the humans._

_Why does he care about them? He's seen that they will not hesitate to kill us all, simply from fear._

_"I'm been at the mercy of men just following orders. Never again." I replied in a soft voice, looking deep into his eyes. I faced the missiles and sent them flying._

_"Erik...stop this now!"_

_I'm sorry Charles, but I just can't forgive them._

_I can never forgive a homo called __**sapien**__. (Man called __**wise**__)_

_Never again..._

The feeling of blood running through my fingers when I held Charles in my hands...

_Charles looked up at me with eyes filled to the brim with pain and tears, and yet he still smiled at me. He grasped my shoulder in a comforting gesture._

_Charles...God no, not you._

_Don't die Charles, don't die._

_'I don't blame you.' His eyes said._

_Blood oozed out of the gunshot wound in his back, coating my hand. I held him even closer to me._

_'No, but I do.' My eyes said back._

The fear that shone in Charles' eyes when I tried to comfort him...

_"__**Please**__...please don't hurt me."_

Then it was all gone.

I collapsed, feeling boneless and tired. The pain just disappeared, as if it were never there in the first place.

_My, my. Seems like you still haven't conquered your own demons Erik. How are you going to help Charles if you cannot even help yourself?_

"Shut up." I said weakly, panting. It was so hard to catch my breath.

Xavier chuckled darkly and knelt down to where I was sprawled on the floor. He grabbed me by the hair, forcing our eyes to meet.

_I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you._

"Shut up." I forced the words a little stronger.

_I don't see why Charles even bothered to save you._

"Shut. Up."

_After all, if you died he wouldn't be in a wheelchair._

"Shut up!"

_Pathetic._

"I said _shut up_!" The words roared from my mouth, red filling my vision as I bolted up. Drawing a fist back quickly, I punched him in his gut without warning, reveling as he staggered backwards and doubled over. I kneed his chin and slammed my fist into the side of his face, watching as he fell to the ground. I turned away, unable to believe that he could be so easily toppled, but needing to find Charles. I needed to find Charles.

A low chuckle stopped me in my tracks, and slowly I turned to see Xavier on his knees, wiping away the blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth, a sly smile on his face.

_Come now Erik, really. Is that all you've got?_

The comment infuriated me, and I lashed out a kick to his ribs. I heard the satisfying crack of breaking bone, and I kicked him in the same spot, feeling it give way as more blood came spurting out of his mouth.

But I wasn't done yet.

Reaching out I grabbed the collar of his shirt, forcing him to stand up. He wavered slightly, trying to gain his footing, but I didn't give him the chance as I threw another punch, sending him back to the floor. The rage coursing through me, I hadn't felt for days, and I knelt over him.

"Who's. Pathetic. Now?" I whispered dangerously, pulling him up so that his face was inches from mine. Xavier weakly stared at me through half-lidded eyes, that smirk slowly reforming.

_Still you_.

I growled, prepared to punch him again.

"E-Erik?"

The red faded and I dropped Xavier. I turned around slowly and faced the source of the voice. Charles, staring at me with wide, fearful eyes.

"Charles..." I said softly. I didn't know what else to say.

_Run Charles...Run..._

To any calm person, the fake sincerity in Xavier's voice would have been easy to detect. But Charles was far from calm.

I took a step forward and he took a step backwards in response.

_Charles for the love of God, __**run**__!_

He hesitated before turning on his heel and running away. The darkness swallowed him out of my sight.

"Charles!" I called out desperately. _Not again_, I was not going to lose him again. I started to run after him when I heard laughing.

Evil, wicked laughing.

_You won't catch him._

"And why_ not_?"

_This is __**his**__ mind. He can do whatever he wants. He can even walk...unlike in the real world. If he doesn't want to be found, then you will not find him._

Xavier faded away.

And I was left alone to deal with my actions.

"God...What have I done?"

***~***~Peace~***~***

He was right. He was right all along.

Erik _was_ just like Father.

He tried to suppress the memories that were building up, but it was a futile effort.

_Charles knelt on the floor with his father circling him like hawk. He trembled in fear knowing exactly what was going to happen._

_He was going to get beaten again._

_"You see __**Charles**__, the world is full of freaks and monsters." His name rolled off his father's tongue as if it were venom. Charles looked into his father's eyes and searched for anything relatively close to love or kindness._

_But there was nothing._

_'What did you do you wrong this time?' Charles asked himself, his mind in chaos._

_"__**You**__, are the king of all freaks."_

_'Please don't hurt me, please don't hurt,' he silently prayed as his father knelt down in front of him, speaking in a low, angry voice._

_"But that doesn't give you the right to disobey your own father."_

_Charles didn't even have a chance to defend himself when his father's palm came crashing down on his cheek. His head snapped to the right, tears prickling his eyes as his left cheek stung with pain._

_But that was only the beginning._

He fell to his knees and hugged himself as he shook uncontrollably. He could still feel the pain, even now.

_I can make this all stop._

Charles looked up but he couldn't find anyone. He was surrounded only by darkness.

_Just let me help._

A hand touched his cheek, and Xavier appeared in front of him.

_You don't have to suffer anymore._

"I...I want to forget. I want to forget them all." He mumbled, his voice filled with fury and sorrow.

Xavier smiled.

_And forget you shall._

***~***~Peace~***~***

Xavier placed two fingers on Charles' forehead and concentrated. He delved deep into his look-alike's mind and breached the memory logs. There he erased everything and anything that he could find about Charles' friends, leaving only the fear Charles felt whenever Erik was around as insurance. Once everything was erased, Charles' eyes slid closed, and he collapsed to the ground.

_Finally, this piece of trash is gone and out of the way._

He smirked and kicked the body for good measure. It didn't respond.

_Good._

"Charles! Charles, where are you?" A voice called out not too far away. He frowned when he recognized the voice as Erik's.

_That's right. Now that Charles' mind-self is unconscious, that fool can easily find him now. He will ruin everything..._

An idea popped into his head. Xavier smiled viciously, knife appearing in his hand.

_Perfect._

He rolled Charles' prone body over and stabbed him in the stomach. It wouldn't kill him. After-all, if you kill the mind-self of a person then that person became quite literally brain-dead.

But it wouldn't leave him unharmed, either.

_Not only will this ensure Charles' memory loss, it will prolong Erik's suffering even more._

He sighed happily when blood spurted out of the wound. Xavier took out the knife and tossed it over his shoulder not really caring about where it would fall. He walked away from his 'clone' and debated his next move.

He could take over Charles' body right now and move onto phase two. Then again, it would be very amusing to see the reactions of his look-alike's friends. To deal with memory loss once was painful enough, but to deal with it twice ... would just be breaking. Especially to that Raven person.

Xavier smiled with glee when he thought about Raven's crestfallen face when her brother, who had remembered her before, forgot every single thing about her existence.

_Phase two can wait. __**This**__ will be much more fun._

***~***~Peace~***~***

I dropped to my knees and put my head in my hands. I let my anger get the best of me. _Again_.

_'What are you doing Erik? Did you really give up on Charles! Again? Don't lose him Erik!'_

That was right, Charles doesn't need a pity party right now. He needed a friend.

He needed me.

I jumped to my feet and began to run in a random direction. To hell with what Xavier said about not being able to find Charles.

"Charles! Charles where are you!" I called out. No one answered me, but I kept running, kept calling.

I found Schmidt. I could certainly find Charles.

With the darkness surrounding me, it seemed as if I were running on the spot. It felt like I wasn't getting any closer to Charles.

_'Maybe Xavier was right. Charles really can't be fou-'_

My thoughts were cut short when I heard a strange sound. I looked down at my foot and I saw a pool of blood underneath it. I followed the blood all the way to it's source.

_Charles._

***~***~Peace~***~***

"Helloooooooo. Wake up! Wakey wakey!"

"Charles!"

I bolted up, my head colliding with something equally hard. I heard a groan and craned my head to see what I had hit.

Alex, shaking his head to clear the pain as he looked at me with incredulous concern. "You alright? You passed out in the hallway."

Hallway.

Charles.

I growled and pushed him away to stand up. But I immediately regretted it when my head began to spin.

"Hey, calm down!" He huffed, slightly annoyed even as he reached out a hand to steady me.

"Have to...Have to help..." I started, pulling away. I placed a hand against the wall.

"Erik? _Erik_. Help who? What's going on?" I slowly began to walk down the hall towards a room I knew all too well

"Charles. Charles is in danger."

* * *

><p>Romanec is just awesome.<p>

The fight scene in the middle was so horrible when I wrote it but now...

It's just epic.

Oh and not to mention that all my spelling/grammar mistakes were fixed only by the amazing ROMANEC!

THANK-YOU!

See I.E., it's not that you aren't a good editor. It's just...um...

I.E.: I hate you...GUILT GET OVER HERE!

Oh no, don't you dare I.E. Guilt don't sit in the Chair of Co-

Guilt: *Sits in the chair of control*

...I feel guilty now...


	11. Watchers Part 1

Alright! After a nice refreshing break, I'm back! School is out to so I have loads of free time.

Thank goodness.

Once again, this chapter would not be so aw... I mean amazing if it weren't for the wonderful Romanec!

I.E.: *Plots something evil*

...I'm banishing you to the Dark Cornor!

I.E.: What! Why!

Because you're planning to murder Romanec.

I.E.: Grrrr...How'd you know?

You're part of my psyche. I know everything you do!

Moving on...

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot

* * *

><p><em>Help Charles.<em>

I repeated the words over and over in my head; they were all that kept me going. Kept me pushing past the pain.

_Help Charles. Help Charles. Help Charles._

I had only walked a couple meters and my muscles were already protesting each step I forced them to make. But even as my body screamed at me to stop, I pressed forwards. Black spots decorated my vision, threatening to paint my whole world black. My energy and strength were slowly being drained away from me. Each breath I took only fed the fire raging in my lungs. Another few steps, and my legs decided that they had enough.

My knees buckled, and I hit the floor with a resonating thud that danced painfully through my bones.

"Erik!"

In a flash Alex was by my side.

He knelt down beside me, pulling and slinging my arm over his shoulders, supporting most of my weight as I staggered back to my feet. When I was finally standing, he adjusted his grip on me with a concerned look that was not usual for him.

"Are you alright? Maybe you should sit down for a minute-." But I shook my head firmly, even as my vision swam.

"No. Charles. I'm going to get to Charles." _Help Charles._ Alex looked ready to protest. "With or without you, Alex." _Help Charles._

It came out a little harsher than intended, but the concern fled from his face, and with a curt nod, he was leading me. He took slow, careful steps, straining slightly even as he made sure I was steady. A far cry from the rebellious kid we had pulled from the prison cell not so long ago. I was disoriented and exhausted from the sudden snap back to the physical world from Charles' mental vortex, but I did my best to keep my weight off him.

Unfortunately, I could not do it for long.

Only a handful of steps in, my body fell limp, and I heard Alex mutter a range of colourful curses as we both went down.

"I can't carry you, Erik," he said breathlessly, panting as he pushed himself up. "You're too heavy. You're going to have to wait here while I go check on the professor." Hands on my arms, he pushed me into a sitting position against the wall. I shook my head again.

"No." No. _Help Charles. _"I'm going with you even if I have to crawl the rest of the damn way." _Help Charles._

"Screw that! Erik, you can barely keep your head up much less crawl."

"No." I answered with finality, pushing against the floor, trying to force my body to stand. But Alex's hands were suddenly on my shoulders, forcing me back down with a growl.

"Erik, stop! Stop. I need to help the professor and all you're doing is wasting time!"

I froze. He was right, I was wasting time. Time that Charles couldn't afford.

He sighed in relief, giving my shoulder a brief squeeze before shooting down the hall towards Charles' room.

_...all you're doing is wasting time..._

"Even when I try to help you, I always hurt you in some way." The black spots from before were suddenly consuming my sight as my mind tilted in vertigo. "Forgive me, my friend."

And it went dark.

***~***~Peace~***~***

Ornate doors and fanciful paintings blurred together as Alex increased his speed. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as the professor's door came closer and closer, Erik's words echoing in his mind_. "Charles is in danger."_

_'Why does his room have to be all the way on the other side?' _He demanded silently, irritated; it was taking too long just to get to the room.

When he finally reached the door he flung it open, not caring about the damages the action was sure to cause as the handle slammed against the wall on the other side. The light of the hallway barely bathed the entrance, leaving the rest of the room in the pitch of darkness.

"Professor?" He called out.

No one answered.

He took a small step into the dark room and called out again, "Professor? Are you okay?"

Silence.

Carefully, wincing at the image of a confused, irate Charles being abruptly woken up, Alex flipped the light switch beside the door. A small lamp on the far nightstand flickered to brightness, revealing a wheelchair in the corner, and a still, pale figure in the middle of a grand bed. The professor, eyes closed and undisturbed, tucked beneath expensive quilts.

_'Why are you so worried? He could just be sleeping.' _Alex thought as he slowly, quietly, drew closer. Even though the bed was just a short distance away, he felt as if he had run a mile just to get to it. '_He's just really tired, nothing worth worrying about.'_

_'Really? For all you know, he could be **dead**.'_ He pushed that thought away violently, pausing at the side of the bed to study Charles' face.

The professor had a peaceful expression.

_'Too peaceful to just be sleeping...'_ Alex's breath hitched at the thought. He shook his head and scolded himself, "No, focus Alex. Focus."

Years of juvie and prison fights had taught him quite a lot. Quickly, he placed two fingers on the artery just below the professor's jaw and felt for a pulse.

_Nothing._

He tried the other side.

_Nothing._

"There has to be a pulse _somewhere_," he growled in frustration as he peeled the covers slightly off the professor's still body, exposing an arm. Again, he placed two fingers on the vein in the wrist, a little more frantically than before, and felt for it.

_Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub_

A pulse.

_'He's alive_.' Relief flooded his body as he gently placed the covers back. He briefly wonder if he should wake the professor up, just to check, just to make sure, but decided against it. The older man needed the rest.

He turned to leave the room. _'Alright, tell Erik that the professor is fine and then get Hank to help Erik and then sleep_.'

But he stopped just at the doorway, his lips curling into a frown, and looked back at the professor.

For some reason, something seemed..._off_, like there was something demanding his attention, but he couldn't exactly determine what it was. It felt as if a dark fog was hanging in the air. There was a name for it...something that started with 'm.'

_Something_ or _Someone_ was watching him... Watching them all...

'Just my imagination.' He snorted, shaking his head, brushing it off as he closed the door. But for a second, his hand lingered on the door knob, not quite closing it, almost as if he should turn back even has he stumbled away.

'Maybe I should go back...just to make su-

_Crash!_

Alex hissed in pain when his are foot came into contact with the shattered glass shards of the vase he knocked down.

_'Awesome Alex. Running into a vase, nice job.' _He checked his foot for any glass shards that might have embedded themselves into his skin, but there was nothing, and he sighed loudly before bending down to pick up the pieces. The vase seemed like one of those worth-more-than-your-life vases the professor seemed to covet. No good in letting anyone know he was the one who broke it.

He had gathered up a majority of them when a yell from down the hall exploded in sonic blast.

"Whoever you are, show yourself!"

He dropped the pieces in his hands and clutched his head, his ears feeling like they were going to burst.

"Damn you Sean!"

***~***~Peace~***~***

Sean was past panic, he was in full blown hysteria.

It wasn't often that one found an unconscious person laying in the hallway in the middle of the night when sneaking to the kitchens for a snack. Let alone that said person be Erik Lensherr himself.

He had tried to wake Erik up, he really had, but he was too scared to do anything more useful than prod the magnetic mutant with his foot and call his name. Erik was not generally someone you wanted to mess with, he knew first hand.

And there was _no_ way he was going to let something like the satellite incident happen again.

He considered using a very long stick and poking Erik but there were two things wrong with that. One, there weren't any sticks inside, and two, he was reasonably sure there was no stick that would be long enough for him to poke Erik with and still have a chance to run away.

_Crash!_

Startled, Sean jumped at least half a meter up in the air, eyes as wide as dinner plates. During their first tour, Raven had mentioned the mansion was haunted by ghosts even Charles couldn't talk to, ghosts that didn't like their nights disturbed. He had thought she was only joking - Charles had _said_ she was only joking - but...

Mustering up all his courage, and in a slightly higher pitch than intended, he yelled out, "Whoever you are, show yourself!"

Sounds of glass shattering and a string of curses that even made Sean's ears burn called out in response. Alex. Not a ghost.

"Damn you Sean!"

Seconds later, Alex stumbled from the darkness of the hallway, one hand rubbing his forehead as the other felt along the wall. He shot him a glare of annoyance. "I swear, if you wake up the professor..." He trailed off as his gaze fell on Erik. "_Again?_"

The redhead looked at the blond with confusion, but Alex gave him a disgruntled look before kneeling down, slinging one of Erik's arms over his shoulders.

"How you didn't wake _him_ up, I don't even know," he grumbled. "And don't just stand there, moron, help me. We need to get him to Hank."

***~***~Peace~***~***

"One more piece should do it..." Hank mumbled quietly to himself as he drilled a hole in his latest creation. He could hear the sigh of his companion, and, absently, glanced at the clock.

_2:46 A.M._

He blinked, surprised. That late already?

"Hank. I think it's time to turn in for the night." Raven urged with a tired voice from somewhere behind him.

Turning back to his work, he replied, "Soon. I'm almost done." He could practically feel the roll of her eyes.

"For a genius, you sure act like a child."

"Raven please, I need to concentr-"

_Crash!_

Hank nearly dropped the drill in surprise. He quickly switched it off, turning towards Raven who had dashed to his side. She looked at him with concern.

"Are you okay?" She demanded. He nodded and stood up from his workbench.

_"Whoever you are, show yourself!"_

He snarled when the short sonic wave hit his sensitive ears, exiting the lab and heading quickly towards the source of the noise, Raven on his heels.

_"Damn you Sean!"_

Great. Alex too.

"They're going to wake up Charles!" Raven hissed, and Hank nodded in agreement as they rounded the corner, prepared to let the girl unleash her wrath on the two without interference. They _knew_ how crucial it was that Charles get his rest right now.

"Sean. Alex. What in the world are you..." He began, but the words died when he saw the unconscious form of Erik between the two struggling teens.

"Hank! Thank God. What do we do?" Alex demanded, not missing a beat. The older mutant blinked, but even though his appearance had changed, his instincts had not. He was beside them instantly.

Lay him down on the ground." He ordered. "On his back - easy, Sean! - I think he's dehydrated, but how ...? Someone go get some water - thank you, Raven. Prop his head up, Sean, into the recovery position - oh, move then, I'll do it!" He shook the German gently a couple times, frowning at the lack of response. "What happened?"

"I dunno, man. He was just ... laying there when I was heading to the kitchen." Sean seemed to be shaking, though whether from nerves or shock, Hank didn't know. "Like he just fell asleep." But Alex was shaking his head.

"No. I found him like this earlier, not too far from here. Completely out of it. Like he'd been in a fight or something. But he woke up for me. Going on about some nonsense about the professor being in danger-."

"_What_?" Hank and Sean spoke together.

"Hey, calm down okay? I checked on him and he's fine. Just sleeping. Like, deep sleeping, but still. Sleeping." Hank was frowning, even though the words were reassuring. There was something ... wrong about this.

About everything...

"Here's the water, Hank." Raven reappeared, golden eyes wild as she placed the glass in his hand.

"He was so adamant, though," Alex continued. "He was obviously sick, but he kept going towards his room..." Hank pressed the cup against Erik's lips, slowly trickling some of the liquid inside, before splashing some soothingly onto the overheated skin. Instantly, the man flinched in response, stirring, eyes fluttering open. Alex nudged his shoulder with his fist before Hank could protest.

"Welcome back to the land of the living. Again."

***~***~Peace~***~***

The first thing I noticed was voices. Muffled, incoherent voices. It was like white noise all around, and it did nothing to quell the headache inside my head.

Then I felt hands supporting my head.

Furry hands.

Something wet splashing on his face.

Wait. _What?_

My eyes snapped open, and all I saw was a mixture of colours and blobs. There was one big blue blob hovering over me, a blob with a mouth, a mouth that was moving but with no words coming out. At least not any words I could hear.

I grunted and pushed myself into a sitting position, squinting my eyes as the world began to get into focus. I looked the blue blob and this time, I recognized it as Hank.

"Welcome back to the land of the living. Again." A voice to my left greeted.

Alex.

I muttered something in German as I tried to calm the storm inside my head.

_Xavier..._

_Anger..._

_Danger..._

_Charles..._

_Help Charles._

_Alex._

_Help Charles._

_"_Alex!" God! "Is Charles okay?" I asked, my words slurring together.

Alex nodded, shooting a glance over my head towards, I assumed, Hank. "Yeah. He was sleeping. No danger there. He's fine, Erik."

But I shook my head. "No, that can't be right. I saw him. He was _bleeding_. I know he was." Blood, all over the place, all over the floor, all over him. All over Charles. _Help Charles._

"Erik, I think you should lie back down..." Hank started as he began to push against me. Push me back to the floor - no!

"You're wrong! He's in danger! Charles is in _danger_!" I yelled, my voice starting to get more and more frantic with each word.

"Calm down!"

"Let. Me. _Go_!" _Charles!_ But Hank was a lot stronger than I was, and I didn't have enough energy to tap into my power. He pushed me back, even as I was pushing up.

"Stop. Hank, _stop_."It was Raven. Everything went quiet. "I...I think he's right. I think something's wrong."

"R-Raven?" She was looking at me. Hank's grip fell away, and I forced myself up, but her eyes did not leave me, and I could not ignore the dawning look of horror in them.

"Charles has always a light sleeper, even after ... even after the accident. The crash from earlier should have woken him up, if not then Sean's sonic yell. He would've called out, or tried to see what was going on. It's his natural instinct to worry." She was already beginning to stand. "If he still isn't awake, then something must be wrong. Very wrong."

This time, it was Hank who pulled me to my feet, and I wasn't the only one who was rushing to Charles' door.

_Help Charles._

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><p>I'll try to update soon but no promises!<p> 


	12. Watchers Part 2

Oh gosh, I had a lot of trouble with this chapter.

BUT!

My awesome beta Romanec helped me through it and now it rocks!

Let us all thank Romanec for being so awesome!

I also thank all of my faithful readers who have put up with my terrible English. YOU GUYS/GALS ARE AWESOME!

I also thank Wisdom who found Writer. Yup, Wisdom was able to locate Writer and now I'm back.

THANK-YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR AWESOMENESS!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

><p>Darkness...<p>

Perishing echoes...

Complete stillness...

_'Where am I?'_

Pain...

A burning pain in his stomach.

He was wounded.

_'What's going on?'_

A sound...

Raw, tortured, full of agony. It rang excruciatingly around the darkness like a twisted melody of hurt and torment.

Screaming.

Someone was screaming...

Was it...him?

_'Good God...'_

There was something on him...

Dry, crusty, smelling of something metallic...copper maybe?

…Blood?

_His_ blood?

_'...Am I dead?'_

He could feel a liquid in his mouth. It was heavy, slick, and disgusting. It trickled down his throat, threatening to drown him. He coughed to expel the foul substance from his mouth, and in response it splashed all over his face, coating his chin and dribbling onto his clothes, staining them.

Little persistent flecks clung to his throat, sparking a fire.

_'Is this...'_

He gave a strangled cry for help and listened for an answer.

None came.

He was alone. All alone.

There was no one here but him.

The world was quiet and still.

Dead.

_'...Heaven?'_

For a moment, a brilliant white light flashed, blinding him.

Everything fell silent...

Everything went black...

Nothing moved...

The liquid disappeared, along with the blood. The pain went away and the screaming stopped.

It was like...they were never there at all.

An illusion.

_'I'm dead. Oh God, I'm dead.'_

Something fluffy surrounded him.

It was warm.

A familiar smell of vanilla and lavender...

Numbness in his legs.

_'I can't...feel my legs...'_

There was nothing.

No feeling, no sensation.

Just nothing.

He couldn't remember how he lost them...

It hurt to try.

An empty space in his memory.

_'Dead...Dead...Dead...'_

Voices...

He could hear voices in the distance, miles or maybe just a few feet away.

Frantic.

**"Charles!"**

Desperate.

**"Charles wake up!"**

Full of fear.

**"Please open your eyes! **_**Please!**_**"**

They were calling out to him...

_'My name. They know my name.'_

He wasn't alone.

They were … here to help him?

Save him?

But...who were they?

They are your enemies, Charles.

A new voice...

He knew who this was.

_'Xavier?'_

Yes.

His twin, clone, whatever Xavier was...

What did he say?

Enemies?

They were his enemies?

_'How? Why?'_

They did this to you.

Did what?

He didn't even know who they were...

Nothing made sense.

_'What are you talking about?'_

They are the cause of all your pain...

The cause of all his pain...

What?

_'What do you mean?'_

Nothing.

No response.

_'Wait! Come back! Please don't… don't leave me...alone.'_

Don't worry Charles, you'll never be alone again...

Alone.

The king of freaks.

Silent sufferer.

His family was never there...

He was always alone wasn't he?

No, Charles. Never alone again...

But can Xavier be trusted?

Xavier was his enemy right?

The evil twin?

But...

There were a lot of holes in his memory...

He couldn't remember anything clearly except...

Xavier.

_'Never alone...again?'_

_I will never leave you, not like they did. I will always be here._

One can always trust oneself...

Xavier extended his hand.

Well Charles? Do you trust me?

He can trust Xavier.

He moved to grasp the hand.

_'Yes, I trust you.'_

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><p>KYAAAH! Charles!<p>

Oh noes! Xavier's plan is escalating!

What will happen!

Only time will tell. XDDDD

Next update shouldn't be so far away. I already have half of it written.

ONWARDS MY FRIENDS! ONWARDS!


	13. Watchers Part 3

Onwards! AGAIN! (Hehe, sorry for the LONG wait.)

**Okay, BIG thank-you to Romanec for being so PERAWESOOVY!**

**BIG thanks to my readers as well who have put up with me.**

**And BIG thank-you to I.E. and Writer, the ultimate team in making this story.**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

><p><em>Tick...<em>

Lightning danced across the sky as thunder sang its horrifying melody. Rain flooded the streets as the clouds churned angrily above the city. The sky was weeping, but weeping for what? Why would it be crying?

Had it lost something important?

Five figures rushed through the endless corridors of the mansion. They did not dare stop or even slow their mad pace as one thought ran through all of their minds, _'Help Charles.'_ Their mentor, their friend, their brother. In danger. Grave danger.

Like the sky, they too were crying.

Had they lost something imporant as well?

All those tears.

It was _pathetic_.

_Tock..._

The figure turned his attention from them to the chessboard in front of him. Two sides stood against each other: Black and White.

Locked in a fierce battle.

The White Soldiers were fighting like madmen against the onslaught of attacks the Black Soldiers were mercilessly releasing upon them.

The most powerful piece, the White Queen, dashed around, slaying everything in her path. She was unforgiving and brutal; nothing was left whole or free from harm. Her cry was full of hate and rage, her heart as cold as metal, but her loyalty to the King, unquestionable.

The Rook struck the enemy head-on, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. It was perched proudly on top of its chariot, which blazed across the board in mad fury. The chariot was fortified by stone walls - virtually a mobile castle - endless weapons making it a terror on the battlefield.

The Knight tore at everything with a ferocity that could only be described as savage. Its sword was long forgotten in the chaos of the fight, but it was no less dangerous. Using its bare hands, the Knight ripped the enemy to shreds one at a time, leaving the carcasses to rot where they lay.

The Bishop, though its movement were restricted, blasted all the enemies away with cold heated vengence. Its tactics were precise and deadly, sparing no one from the catastrophic attacks it reined with a dangerous, hardened smile.

The Pawn was hesitant to kill, but it was by no means harmless as it disposed of many of the Black Soldiers with devastating strength. It might have seemed weak and insignificant at first glance, but it had more than just a few fatal tricks up its sleeve.

The King stood back, watching his warriors fight. He was tired, weary, essentially broken from too much too quickly. His usual radiance was dimmed and weakened, but when he thought about the pure passion his Soldiers were emitting in their battle, he smiled softly and stood firm in spite of fatigue.

Their efforts were brave and heroic; all for the sake of their White King. Though their bond was fractured and unstable, they were still determined to protect what kept them together. Their bond was deeper than the ocean and soon, it would be fixed, they knew. So sure.

But they were so absorbed in the battle before them that they did not notice the Black King slip past their defenses, towards their coveted leader. The White King put up a valiant struggle, but it was immediately clear that it was not going to be enough.

In one sly move, Black was winning.

_Tick..._

The Black King spoke to the White King in hushed whispers, his words filled with shadowed promises of help. He spoke of how the White Soldiers were all the White King's enemies, about how they were the cause of all the White King's pain, all of his misery, all of his loss. The Black King talked about how they left him all alone, about how _he_ would never leave the broken King's side. Not like they had. Could he not remember?

In time, the White King, so tired, so broken, found himself believing every word his dark counterpart was saying.

_Tock..._

The five reached their destination. They broke down the door and entered the room, panic and fear rolling off of them in waves that, had they been of real water, would have had all of Westchester submerged and drowned.

Their wild gazes landed on the still figure on the bed.

Shouts of desperation followed. They tried everything to wake the silent man, but nothing worked. He remained unresponsive,_dead_ to the world.

_Tick_

They fell to their knees, all screaming, all denying, all pleading. Voices loud and carrying and strong, as though something was in danger of being torn away from them. Tears continued to run down their faces as they tried desperately to reach for it, to take it back. To _bring_ it back.

But it was long gone.

The White King had fallen, defeated and lost.

_'Shāh Māt'_

_Tock..._

Like the abrupt last breath of a blown out candle, their screaming stopped. They looked up. Lightning flashed, illuminating two blue eyes that were staring at them, wide and vibrant and mirrored. Awake. _Alive._

The blue figure of the five scrambled to her feet and flung herself at the man on the bed. She sobbed into his shoulder, nonsense pouring from her mouth, and hugged him as tightly as her arms would allow. But he did not return the gesture. Confusion overtaking her features, she released him from her vice-like grip, and gently asked him if he was alright.

His response was only three quiet, hoarse words.

_"Who are you?"_

Worlds shattered, revealing the cruel and bitter reality of the illusion they so thoughtlessly offered.

_Tick..._

Time was running out.

Even as they increased their break-neck speeds, they would never make it in time. The game had just begun and already the most important piece had been captured. They could try all they wanted, but they would never complete their mission. Not now.

It was too late.

Charles was his.

_Tock._

* * *

><p>Translations - It's not Latin this time.<p>

Shāh Māt - The King is helpless. (Or Checkmate)

Tell me what ya think okay? Your reviews feed me...and I.E. It keeps her in a good mood.

I.E: I WILL DESTROY YOU REI!

See what I mean?


	14. Everlasting sorrow

Bonjour mes amis! And how are we today?

Long wait for the update...again ^^;

Sorry!

Oh! Listen to this guy play the piano while you read this: http : / sebastianlarsson . bandcamp . com / album / piano

Personally, I really liked listening to Into the Dark but any of the songs would do. But you don't have to listen to me, play your own music or have no music at all if you want to. I'm not forcing you guys and sorry if it sounded like I was.

**BIG thank-yous to all who reviewed, faved and/or alerted.**

**BIG thank-you to Romanec, the perawesooviest person AND beta ever!**

**BIG thank-yous to my little psyche-peoples. Without them...well then I'd actually be a Robot.** (Feel free to call me that, it's my nickname XD)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. The songs belong to Sebastian Larsson.

* * *

><p><em>"Who are you?"<em>

Three simple words. There really wasn't anything special about them. Together, they were just another common phrase used in the English language - a question asked to help people get to know each other.

Nothing important.

Raven herself had heard those words before, several times in fact. When she was younger, people used to ask her that exact phrase every time she met them. Of course she was blue, scaly, golden-eyed..._different_. It was to be expected, right?

Even now, she could still feel the hurt and anguish her younger self felt when she became the last one in the orphanage. No one wanted a blue girl as their daughter. No one wanted a freak. And it crushed her to think that they didn't even know her and but yet still had cast their judgments.

It was just her against a world of people that feared and hated her.

But...

Then she had met Charles, all those years ago...

_"Who are you?"_

He had asked her those same words when they met in his kitchen that fateful night, but even though the words he uttered were the same ones she had been hearing her entire life, she had sensed that he was different. That he was special.

And not simply because he was a mutant just like her.

He had been the first one to ask her out of genuine curiosity instead of fear. He had been the first one to accept her, to make her feel as if she belonged. Charles had become her sun, the kind that peaked out from the rainy clouds and gave her hope.

As the years had gone by, and as their bond grew, the words had become a game to them. He would ask and she would answer. It was harmless banter back and forth. Just a friendly game amongst siblings.

_"Who are you?"_

_"I'm Raven, your sister. Don't you remember?"_

_"I never had a sister."_

_"But Charlie..."_

_"Don't be like that, my dear, of course I remember you! I love you after-all."_

So why was it now, on this dark night, that she felt her heart break into a million pieces the moment she heard him utter those familiar words? Why was it now that crystalline tears clouded her vision, on the verge of spilling onto her cheeks to race down her face? Why was it now that her heart strings tugged in sadness, shock, and betrayal? That she felt a bottomless canyon replace the bridge they had made when they were innocent children?

_Why?_

She bit her lip and backed away from her brother, his words finally sinking in. She felt a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off as she sank to the floor. Pity was the last thing she needed. The voices of her companions had faded to the background as she found herself lost within those familiar blue eyes that stared back with no recognition. She searched and searched, but she found no soul flickering gently behind those windows. At least, not the soul she knew and loved.

Gone was the curiosity of the thirteen year-old that so kindly offered her a home, a refuge, a family. Gone was the kindness and playfulness of the man who was her sibling in all that was truly important but blood. Gone was..._Charles_.

_"Who are you?"_

She opened her mouth to reply, but no sounds came out. She was too numb to speak, too broken.

It hurt. A lot.

The emptiness, the hopelessness, the dread...

It was horrible.

All her life, she had felt Charles' presence near her own, a constant tingle at the back of her mind.

But now ... the tingle was gone. Raven trembled and desperately reached out with her mind for that familiar presence. Her walls broke just a little more when she felt an empty abyss. She had felt this disconnection only one time before, and that was when Charles stopped breathing on their way to the hospital...

_'No, you'll drive yourself to insanity thinking about that...'_

There was nothing to be felt. Nothing for her to grab onto for strength and reassurance. Only the feeling of death hanging in the air. But looking at him sitting on his bed with his head slightly tilted to the side, Raven knew that Charles was still very much alive.

He was breathing, awake...

Yet he was also empty and lifeless.

It was like he was...

Dead, but not dead.

"I-I am Rav-Raven." She finally forced the introduction past her lips, choking on the air it took to make it. "Your sister. Don't you...Don't you remember, Charles?" She hated how weak she sounded. Her voice quivered with every word as she began to fall apart at the seams. Her golden eyes, glassy with the tears she was holding back, seemed to sparkle like warm but drowned amber in the little light that the moon provided. The others had no idea as to how important his reply was to her.

_The sun over her world was setting..._

"I never had a sister."

The warmth in his voice had disappeared, replaced by a cold tone that sent shivers running down her spine. The others also had no idea how much his reply tore at her heart.

_...disappearing under the horizon..._

"But Charlie..." Had it been a different situation, she would have laughed at the old nickname she had made for Charles. But it wasn't.

_...and it seemed as if..._

"..." He said nothing in response, his face twisted into an unreadable expression.

_...it was never going to come back._

Raven stared with hopeful eyes. She was waiting for the moment where he would break out into a grin and finish their game. There was still a little ounce of hope inside her that told her that he was just pretending. That he wasn't lost and he was only experiencing a slight problem with his power.

She could not bare to lose him. _They _could not bear to lose him.

She depended on Charles on much more than just for support. He was the one who kept her grounded. When she became too brash and reckless, he would be the voice of reason, the one to stop her from doing harm to herself and to others. He was the one she could always run to, who always understood her, wanted her...

Charles was the most important person in her life.

To everyone else...

He was their rock, their foundation, the glue that held them together with nothing but his words.

Their King on the chessboard of Life.

Yet it felt as if they had lost him already...

_"Who are you?" _He suddenly threw back, soft and whispered and it startled her.

He wasn't supposed to start the game again! This wasn't supposed to happen.

Not Charles, not the only family she had left in the world.

"Professor? Don't you...we're your friends, your students..." A voice breathed out shakily, trembling throughout the room.

_'Sean,'_ Raven noted idly as his voice became white noise.

Charles' attention flickered over to Sean behind her, as if noticing that they weren't alone for the first time. He stared at the ginger blankly before his gaze moved onto Hank, then to Alex, and then ... to Erik.

A brief look of fear overtook his features, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Stop your lies," he hissed, his lip curling into a scowl. It was all so foreign to see on a man that was usually so passive and calm.

She closed her eyes as she struggled to contain all her emotions: hurt, betrayal, confusion...

_'Don't lose it, you have to stay together and help him._' She breathed in deeply and opened her eyes.

She walked up to him, wrapping her arms around him once more. If she could just jog a memory or really anything...maybe they could get him back. Maybe he wasn't as lost as she thought he was. Maybe he would remember something, even if it was small. Maybe he would remember...

_'Me,'_ Raven thought selfishly.

"We're not lying, Charles. Please, you have to remember," she whispered into his ear, her voice drowning with emotion. She hugged him tighter, trying with everything she had to send him the same reassuring feelings he had been giving her all her life. "_Please_," she said again, her voice barely audible. Fresh tears welled in her eyes and she wanted nothing more than to just to hear him speak to her.

Not in the cold voice of now, but in the voice that belonged to the Charles she knew.

"You...," he whispered again, softly in a way that was almost like before...before everything had gone bad.

Almost.

She could still sense the distrust and confusion that tinted his voice.

"_Who are you?"_

A tear finally rolled down her cheek.

Really, they were just three simple words.

* * *

><p>Feel free to drop a review. Like any other author, I live on your feedback so tell me what ya thought of it okay?<p> 


	15. Breaking Point

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

><p>Raven hugged her brother tighter and buried her head into the crook of his shoulder.<p>

"_Please_…" she begged; her voice cracking.

***~***Peace***~***

Something warm trickled down the side of his face.

Charles tentatively raised a hand and brushed it against the substance before pulling it away. It came back wet.

Something inside Charles stirred as he stared at his hand. All his previous suspicions drained out of him as something stronger tried to push forward with a dulled eagerness. It was an odd feeling and he did not quite understand it. He felt as if he wanted to…_console_ her. He felt a strong urge to just wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything was alright. Guilt and sadness attacked him viciously. The emotions twisted inside him and wailed, demanding that he comfort his so-called sister.

He was so confused. He didn't know if he was supposed to push _'Raven'_ away or hug her back.

"Raven ...," he whispered, the name sounding odd on his lips. She stopped her silent cries at his voice, pulling back, and looked at him. He looked back and gazed deeply into her golden eyes; could see the tears that glistened in her in them, some slipping out to trail down her cheeks. The sight angered him and made him feel guilty at the same time.

He felt so torn. One side of him wanted to embrace her, soothe her, calm her. And the other wanted to push her away and yell at her for lying to him, to condemn her for it.

But…

Nothing about her showed that she was lying. Her words from before were drowned with genuine emotion and her eyes only showed true sincerity.

Maybe…she was telling the truth. Maybe she was not _'Raven'_ but Raven, his sister. Maybe…

***~***Peace***~***

Raven tensed when she felt arms wrap around her, but relaxed once a calming sensation tentatively started to enter her mind.

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, allowing the scent of vanilla and cinnamon to fill her lungs. She could feel grief and sadness as they seeped out of her, leaving her alone to be with her brother. Her chest felt lighter. The storm in her mind grew still and her soul was surrounded with the presence of another.

'_Charles…'_ She whispered in her mind. His soul slid right beside her and they both basked in each other's presence. Happiness burned inside them, fueling them. They slowly patched their bond back together and painted it in the emotions that consumed them. The fog that clouded their minds parted and everything became clear again.

And at that moment, time slowed down.

Whatever happened before was behind them now, a distant memory. They were in the present. Nothing else mattered. It was just them, together. Just two siblings, a brother and a sister, reuniting after being separated for too long.

She did it. She helped Charles remember. They hadn't lost him; they had found him and saved him in time.

Everything was going to be okay.

But…

It was foolish hope.

The illusion melted in an abrupt flash of violent shock, and Raven found herself being pushed away before she could comprehend the change. She landed painfully on the floor, rolling before her body came to a bitter stop. She did not register the voices of the others as they cried out in surprise at her sudden fall; did not even feel the hands that helped her up.

She was numb in shock.

She could only stare into the hateful blue orbs that would forever haunt her.

***~***Peace***~***

Charles growled deeply, a dark fury simmering just beneath his breast. He mentally cursed himself for almost falling for her trick. He would have, had it not been for his only true ally in the room.

"_They are your enemies, Charles,"_Xavier gently reminded him.

***~***Peace***~***

I just stood there.

Everything about the scene seemed wrong. It was not supposed to end like this. Charles wouldn't…he…No, no, he wouldn't give in that easily. He couldn't be…

_Gone_.

I clenched my hands into tight fists and did the one thing I've always known how by instinct to do.

I ran.

The mansion doors burst open as I ran outside into the fierceness of the weather. Rain fell heavily from the sky, blown in wailing assault by the wind, but though the water was up to my ankles I did not slow down as I dashed down the graveled path. I didn't know where I was going but anywhere had to be better than there; I was desperate to get away from those cold, steely eyes. A shiver ran down my spine, more from the image my mind of Charles' eyes than the freezing rain that attacked me.

Only one word ran through my head. Always the same word.

_Charles._

No matter what I did, my thoughts always led back to him. It was always about Charles. I let him fall, slip through my fingers. He dove into the ocean to save me, a person he hadn't even _known_ at the time. He actually tried to understand who I was, and he _did_ understand me. He was the first person to see _Erik Lehnsherr_. He didn't see Frankenstein's monster, he saw _me_. He saw a person who was, in his words, "haunted by his past and just terribly confused with his life".

Charles was easily one of most important people in my life, if not the _most._

And I? I had hurt him. I had put a bullet in his back and took away his legs. I knew he had died for me that day; I was well aware of the fact that he felt every single agonizing second of Shaw's chaotic death by my hand. And yet, I had still killed Shaw even though I had _known_ Charles would suffer greatly, and then I had taken away my mind from his. The second I had put on the helmet, I had known I was doing something even more unforgivable than killing Shaw. For a telepath, taking away a mind was like taking away air; would be like placing myself into a prison of plastic with no metal.

And it had all happened because I was so stupid.

So _stupid_.

I closed my eyes, and my running staggered to a defeated halt. My lungs burned, my body shook, and opening my eyes I found myself staring into a field of green grass shining from the rain. I collapsed to my knees, exhaustion finally catching up. I hunched over and grabbed fistfuls of dirt and grass, emotions running rampant inside me with no outlet.

_Charles._

In the recess of my heart, I felt something rise up; a feeling I hadn't felt since my mother had died.

Grief.

I grieved for the loss of my best and only friend. I grieved for the loss of the peace that I once had so carelessly thrown away just because I was stupid. I grieved for the children who lost their innocence when they were forced to risk their lives and fight a war. But mostly, I grieved for myself. I grieved because of the overwhelming disgrace and guilt that clung to my shoulders like a cape made from my failure to protect what mattered to me most.

I had failed my mother so long ago when I couldn't move the coin. I failed my brethren when I was in the camps, when I let so many of them fall and die. I failed Charles...Oh God, I failed Charles so much. I failed him when I put on the helmet and severed our mental bond. I failed him when I killed Shaw. I failed him when I deflected a bullet that stole his freedom. I failed him when he 'died' on our way to the hospital. I failed to save him from Xavier.

_Charles._

When I was wandering in the darkness of my solitary soul, he showed me a light and a path out. When I was nearly consumed by my agony and rage, he showed me peace and hope. When I had nightmares, he came and comforted me without judgment. He was what had kept me moving forward. He was my first friend in a world of enemies.

He was just there for me when I needed someone to be.

But now, he was gone. Whatever was left of him was buried somewhere inside of his mind, six feet under and docile and screaming. I could picture it.

And something inside me broke.

I opened my mouth and I screamed. Everything I felt poured from my lips in searing torment; all of my emotions, all of my heart; my entire soul. _Everything_. Even when my throat began to burn, I kept screaming. I screamed until my voice was raw and then I screamed more. I screamed because I didn't know what else to do. I screamed because I wanted to. Because I _needed_ to. Even Frankenstein's monster had screamed at one point from it all.

Metal from nearby places began to swirl around me, forming a terrifying vortex that matched the intensity of my scream. It groaned and creaked, creating a symphony of anger, pain, and guilt. Lightning flashed, lighting up the darkened sky to a blinding white. Thunder rolled in fury, but even its wail was easily overshadowed by my scream of anguish.

And then I stopped.

My mouth hung open, my chest heaved, and I gazed into the sky with a blank look. The metal dropped to the ground with a chorus of thunks and I was left in the silence.

Silence was supposed to be a great healer. But at that moment, silence was what I feared the most. Silence meant that Charles was not there anymore, not inside of my head. It meant that our bond was gone, severed and beyond repair. It meant that I had lost him.

Silence meant that I was alone.

* * *

><p>(I have now decided to leave all my notes at the bottom :D)<p>

Bonjour~! Robot's here to speak with you all. I am truly sorry for the ridiculously long wait for the chapter. I'm sorry but I've been so busy preparing for school. Not only that, my family just moved to another neighbourhood and I've been dead tired for the past couple days.

Am I going to update this soon? Answer: Probably not. Reason: School. Simple as that.

On another note, thank-you all my faithful readers who have put up with me. Thank-you to all those who reviewed, faved and alerted. Your support is what drives me forward :D I would also like to thank my perawesoovy beta, Romanec. I'd also like to thank my little psyche-peoples.

Now about this chapter. I'm shedding a manly tear right now. The last part...argh! Just made me want to cry...in a manly way of course ;)

Tell me what you thought of it okay? Was it bad? Horrible? Adequate? Good?


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